Way Too Far
by Syphonic
Summary: She stood on the precipice, staring with wide eyes into the maw of madness. At its twisted, dark center, was Vaas, waiting with open arms for her to join him in the chaos. Insanity beckoned, pulling her forward with shadowy tendrils. How could she refuse? Set 1 yr before FC3. Vaas x OC. Rated M for drugs, sex, torture, violence, ect.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, welcome to my very first fanfiction. I am incredibly nervous about publishing this -gnaws on fingernails- If you have any qualms with the story or suggestions, please feel free to PM me so we can discuss it further. I am very open to ideas and I take constructive criticism really well. (:

That being said, I am **_need of a beta_****_reader,_** someone who will help with the grammar and flow of the story. A knowledge of the game would be good too, but it's not essential. I would be grateful for any sort of assistance really! (:

I would like to thank **JourneyIntoMadness **for her help. She helped me bounce ideas back and forth and was the one to inspire me with her awesome fanfiction to write my own! (Seriously, go check that out!)

My OC's are portrayed by the following actors:

**Eli Lennox (Looney Tunes/Big Mama) – played by Charlize Theron (with dark hair).**

**Teddy Lawson (Bear/Big Daddy) – played by Joe Manganiello.**

**Lucas King (Sparky) – played by Jake Gyllenhaal.**

**Charlie Hyde (Jekyll and Hyde/Doc)– played by Michael Fassbender.**

**Roy Copperfield (Alpha) – played by Dwayne Johnson.**

**Kyle Jackson (The Kid) - played by Ryan Kwanten.**

**Sunny Temsford (Sunshine) – played by Sam Worthington.**

**Summary: **Volker assign's his best mercenaries, Alpha Team, to the Northern Island, where they will assist the pirates in retaking the outposts and pushing back the rebels. Vaas is under strict instructions not to harm the mercs in any way, but that isn't going to stop the Pirate Lord from having a bit of fun with Volker's dogs.

After the death of her closest friend and team mate, Eli stands on the precipice, staring with wide eyes into the maw of madness. At it's twisted, dark center, stand's Vaas, waiting with open arms for her to join him in the chaos. Insanity beckoned, pulling her forward with shadowy tendrils. How could she refuse?

**WARNING: This fanfic contains scene's of an explicit nature. If you do not want to read content about: sex, drugs, torture, violence, gore, insanity, swearing, ect, then please turn away now. It's rated M for a reason!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS TAKES PLACE A YEAR BEFORE THE EVENTS OF THE GAME, OKAY?**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY OC's.**

With that out of the way, please enjoy my fic.

* * *

Hoyt Volker sat tensely on the throne behind his desk, fingers laced tightly together. His cigar hung between his lips, hissing quietly as he took a long drag, the end glowing a fiery red. He exhaled, breathing out a thick swirl, filling the room with the heavy aroma of smoke.

He flashed a glance over to the man leaning against the wall, staring silently out of the window, watching the mercenaries milling around the compound. Hoyt's jaw tensed, brow furrowing with displeasure. Vaas had informed him that the rebels had taken another three outposts during the night. His men killed, their weapons and resources stolen. Their grip was slowly slipping on the northern island.

_Fucking savages!_

In Hoyt's mind, it was all down to Vaas. His men lacked direction and discipline. It seemed they were more interested in getting high and drunk off their tits than actually doing work. What the fuck as he paying them for?

The South African stubbed out the last of his cigar in his crystal ashtray and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to work away the headache that began to steadily creep in.

"What do you plan to do then, Vaas?" His sharp voice cut through the silent room. Vaas stiffened, turning to face his boss. A frown on his features.

"I need more men," he spoke quiet and slow, carefully testing the rough waters he often found himself in with Hoyt these days.

Volker scowled at his words. "I shipped you fifteen men just last week! What the fuck are you doing with them, hm?" The muscles in his jaw tightened, his anger steadily rising. "I keep throwing money at you, Vaas, but you keep letting me down! I don't have an endless supply of cannon fodder for you to fuck around with."

Hoyt pushed back his chair, making his way over to the window. He stood with dignity and pride, watching his mercenaries going about their daily duties. They were intelligent, loyal, and above all, they got the job done.

"Here's what I'm going to do," he said with a heavy sigh. Hoyt didn't like what he was going to suggest, but he had no other choice. They needed to take back what was rightfully theirs. "I'm going to send a few of my best mercs to clean up your fucking mess and re take the outposts from the rebels."

Vaas turned his head to the side and frowned, visibly displeased with the idea of having Volker's bitches poking around his business. "Since your stupid fucks over there can't tell which way is up, you'll need someone with the military training to point them in the right direction."

"You're sending a bunch of fucking mercs to baby sit?" Vaas scowled. _Shit!_

"No, Vaas, I'm sending them to do what your fucking retarded men can't seem to!" He shouted angrily and Vaas backed down, casting his glare on the scenery outside. "They'll be under your command, but they'll still be taking orders from me. Don't fuck with them, Vaas, or you'll have to deal with me, do you understand? I put a lot of god damn money into these soldiers and the last thing I need is for them to drop like flies because of your pirates incompetency."

With no room to argue, Vaas relented, nodding his head in silent agreement. "Alright, boss."

* * *

They sat silent amidst the dense overgrowth of shrubs, concealing themselves in the shadows, their eyes fixated on the surrounding area, searching for danger. The humidity that hung in the air threatened to smother them, sucking the oxygen and moisture from their mouths and lungs, leaving the breathless and desperate for sustenance. Sweat dripped profusely from their foreheads, rolling across their dirty skin and soaking their already wet clothes and hair; clinging to them awkwardly.

The earthen floor beneath them squelched from the slightest movements, making it difficult to shift amongst the foliage that encompassed them. No one dared breath through their mouths, afraid the noise would be louder than a gun shot in the muted jungle and surely get them killed.

The company of five mercenaries waited at the edge of the tree line, scoping out the surrounding area for any sign of hostile enemies. Taking up the lead was a woman. She crouched like a predator, slowly shuffling her way through the thick grass and leaves, gently pushing aside any hanging vines with the barrel of her rifle. The men behind her followed the exact movements, their trained eyes sweeping left and right.

Holding up a hand, the group halted at the woman's silent command. She stealthily stood, carefully making her way up an embankment, mindful not to step on any twigs or stones. A dirt road come into view and with a quick glance, she could tell it was frequently used. When she had determined the road was clear, she made a hand gesture, beckoning them forward, eyes never straying from the road.

The others had passed behind her quick and quiet, down the other embankment and into the jungle. She picked up the rear, sweeping her scope behind her before slowly catching up with the others.

After what felt like hours trudging through the bowels of the jungle, they came to a halt, peering cautiously through the tall grass. Rifles slung over their shoulders, they dropped to the muddy floor, belly-crawling along the ground towards what they thought to be the sound of voices in the distance. Caked in mud, sweat and dried blood, they heaved a sigh of relief when they caught sight of a compound at the bottom of a steep hill: their target.

Tall, fortress like walls made from sturdy wood and thick rope surrounded large tin-topped shanty buildings with large guard towers watching the grounds; two men in each tower, binoculars in hand, guns shouldered. Patrols of men moved in pairs around the outer walls, sweeping their gaze left and right, searching the grass for any signs of danger.

Cautiously, the group of mercs made their way down the steep incline and approached the structure. The woman gestured to the guards, shouting in a foreign language. They exchanged looks before nodding, waving them over. They dragged their tired feet towards the compound, shoulders sagging with the weight of a thousand thoughts, an air of solemnity hung over them in a black veil of clouds. A chorus of sighs resounded when they reached inside the safety of the fortress, slinging their weighted packs onto the floor and flexing their aching muscles.

"Finally," one of them muttered quietly with a sigh. The other mercs shot him a death glare, silently telling him to shut up.

The woman turned sharply on her heel and the men faltered, standing straighter than an arrow, feet together, arms behind their backs.

"Oh, you think that now we're back in the Green zone everything's hunky dory?" She snapped, a British accent pitching audibly. She grit her teeth, glaring at them with venomous green eyes. Her sight lingered on one in particular. Kyle AKA. '_The Kid_', the youngest of the group.

The aforementioned man shrunk in his boots when she quickly stepped forward, their noses almost touching. The murderous look glistening in her eyes frightened him and, for a split second, he feared for his life.

"What the _fuck _happened out there, Kyle?"

Kyle swallowed a thick lump of nerves that began to cluster in his throat. His brown eyes darted around frantically, searching for anything other than her to focus on.

"It wasn't my fault, Eli!" He stuttered nervously. Kyle rubbed his sweaty palms on his dirty cargo pants, gripping the material in hopes of steadying his shot nerves. "This fucking spider fell out of the tree and it startled me. I tripped and the trigger just went off!"

The woman, Eli, ground her teeth together angrily and grabbed the front of Kyle's vest, snapping his gaze onto hers. "A spider?" She seethed. "A fucking _spider _made you scream like a little bitch, trip on your stupid ass and set off the explosives!?" Her voice quickly rose to a shout. The other soldiers milling about the compound stopped in their task, staring curiously at the scene before them.

"You compromised the entire mission because you pissed your pants! Sunny is _dead!_"

"I-I thought it was poisonous!" He shouted in desperate defense.

Eli held him in a death grip, her knuckles turned white, shoulders trembled with fury, fueled by the adrenalin and drugs that pumped through her veins. She stared into his watery eyes, silently wishing the ground would swallow him up and drag him into the deepest depths of hell to suffer an agonizingly slow death.

"You know, it's almost funny, if you hadn't of slipped in the mud, that bullet would have been in your head, not his," she whispered deathly calm, staring straight into his eyes. "What a _pity_."

Teddy, the largest and oldest of the group stepped towards the two. He placed a callous hand onto her shoulder, gently prying her away from Kyle, afraid that she would snap his neck if he dared move suddenly. As much as he hated Kyle in that moment, it wasn't their job to discipline him. That was Roy's.

"It's been a long day," he began slowly, the deep baritone of his voice rumbled from his chest. "We're all a little agitated from the comedown of the drugs and Sunny's death," he paused, swallowing thickly at the thought. "We need to calm down, get some chow and head to bed, okay?"

An enraged scream erupted from her throat, causing the others to jump in surprise. She shot Kyle a demonic look before pivoting on her heel, stomping to her designated quarters to release her pent up fury that held onto her with a firm grip.

* * *

The next morning couldn't have arrived sooner. The mercs emerged from their quarters looking worse for wear: pale, sweaty and shaking. Teddy stretched his muscular arms above his head, sighing with satisfaction when the joints gave a soft pop. He glanced around the camp, watching his team mates dragging their feet behind them. Teddy caught sight of Kyle loading his pack into the helicopter, the boy flinched when he heard boots coming up behind him, bolting when he saw it was Eli. The woman ignored him, a deep frown on her face as she slung her own gear into the chopper.

The tropical sun glared into his blood shot eyes and he flinched away, hiding amongst the shadows. He thought back to their latest mission and frowned. They had lost one of their own, all due to a stupid mistake that could have been easily prevented. He felt a pang of sorrow plucking at his heart; he quickly pushed it away, not wanting to dwell too much on the matter. Death came in the job description, after all.

_We're almost home. _Teddy thought with some relief, the boat ride seemed never-ending with the suffocating tension hanging like a guillotine above their heads ready to fall at any sudden movement.

Teddy glanced around at each of his compadres. Lucas sat hunched over with a worn book in his hands, glaring intensely at the pages, fingers gripping the spine tensely. Teddy was certain Lucas wasn't actually reading, merely using the book to keep the others away, not wanting to converse.

Charlie, the second oldest and other Brit, leaned over the railing, gazing far off into the distance. Kyle sat on a crate beside him, nervously fiddling with his pistol in an attempt to clean it. Every so often he'd glance at each of them before shifting his attention back onto the weapon he held in his trembling grasp. He was up shit creak without a paddle and there was going to be hell to pay when they reached home base.

Eli sat away from them, leaning against the cabin. Her eyes shut, arms tightly crossed over her chest, music blaring in her ears. Oblivious to the world around her.

When the boat finally dropped anchor, the mercs all but lunged for the ramp, eager to get away from the unbearable tension. Teddy breathed in a deep breath, comforted by the familiar sight and sound of his home base. Fellow mercs moved around the large, fortified compound, loading and unloading crates, checking weapons, others jogging around the perimeter.

A sharp whistle sounded and all abruptly turned. Roy, the alpha, stood expectantly, waiting for his team. He took charge of all the mercs and he ran a tight ship. You wouldn't be able to sneeze without him finding out. That man had a sixth sense for things.

Roy rose a brow at their depressed demeanor watching his team drag their feet along the ground, slowly making their way over. He was a large man, much like Teddy. His sharp gaze could cut your skin if you got on the wrong side of him. A frown pulled at the corner of his mouth when he took note of one less mercenary.

"Lennox!" He barked loudly. Eli snapped her head up, picking up the pace.

"Sir!" She stood straight and tall, arms folded behind her back in a military manner. The others followed suit, lining up beside her in a row.

"Where is Sunny?" Roy asked gruffly, hands firmly on his hips. At the mention of their fallen comrades name, they all stiffened, casting their red-rimmed eyes to the floor, hiding their guilt and shame.

"Eli?" Roy called expectantly. When he folded his arms across his broad chest, Roy meant business.

Eli gulped nervously, her muscles pulled taut, twitching under the strain. She curled her fists tightly, casting a glare over towards Kyle. "Ask that piece of shit over there."

Roy's brow furrowed, turning his sharp, authoritative gaze to a stricken Kyle. He whistled again, causing the jittery boy to jump. "Something you wanna tell me, Jackson?"

Kyle visibly shook in his spot, eyes wide and frantic. "I—we—Sunny—" he stuttered nervously. When Roy stepped in front of him, the others thought he was going to piss his pants.

"English, Jackson, use it!" He snapped impatiently. "Speak words, not fucking babble." Charlie became agitated, fed up with waiting around for Kyle to grow a pair and articulate his sentences like a grown man should.

"He gave away our position," he began, glaring at the wall in front of him. "I was up on a perch, watching the road when shit for brains over there started shrieking like a banshee," his teeth ground together at the fresh memories. "Started flailing around like a god damn fish and he tripped, triggering the explosives we set up around the base."

"Almost blew us to pieces." Teddy interjected quietly. He could still feel the heat of the explosion on his skin and he shuddered, it had been too close of a call for his liking. Eli, Lucas and himself had barely made it out in one piece.

Charlie continued. "Our cover was blown and the soldiers started to close in. Eli told us to scatter in the wind, rendezvous at the safe point. Sunny, the unlucky bastard, followed after Kyle. The dipshit lead him right into a group of soldiers. Lucky for Kyle though, he slipped in the mud and Sunny took a bullet right between the eyes. He shot one and I took the rest out from the overhang above."

Roy's brows furrowed deeply at the medic's words. A soldier down, that's all he needed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. "And what gave you cause to scream like a little bitch, Jackson?"

Kyle pursed his lips, deeply ashamed with his actions. "It was a spider, sir," Lucas muttered through gritted teeth.

Roy gave him an incredulous look. A spider? A fucking spider had scared one of his mercs? He turned back to look at Kyle sharply, eyeing him up and down. "A spider?" He asked slowly to make sure he hadn't misheard. When Kyle nodded his head yes, Roy's anger spiked. He roughly grabbed the front of Kyle's vest, lifting him from the ground with ease.

"I lost one of my best men because you shit yourself over a spider?!" Roy began to shake him like a rag-doll, inwardly hoping to rattle some sense into that damn brain of his.

"What the fuck have I been training you for, huh? Volker paid good money for top notch mercs, and you lose your shit over an arachnid?!" Roy couldn't believe it. The idea of such a small thing scaring one of his men seemed laughable. What was he going to tell Volker? The man would have his balls in a vice for this!

"_Jesus Christ!" _He seethed quietly. Suddenly, he let go of Kyle and the boy fell to the floor with a thud. Running a hand over his bald head, Roy turned to face Eli. "Despite the cock up," he looked pointedly at the quivering heap on the floor. "Was the objective accomplished?"

"Yes sir." He sighed with relief, at least he would have some good news to deliver to Volker. Eli stepped forward, fishing a small memory disc from her pocket, handing it to Roy.

"Good, now fuck off. You all stink like pigs," he said dismissively. When Jackson skirted around him, he reached out and grabbed his arm tightly, pulling him closer. "I'll deal with you later."

Roy climbed the steps to Volker's office, a tight knot pulled between his shoulders and he suddenly felt sick with nerves. He cleared his throat, straightening his spine and wrapped quietly on the door, entering when Hoyt called for him.

"Ah, Roy, I see your mercs are back," Hoyt commented, a cigar between his lips. "Though, I happened to notice you were one short, hm?"

With a sigh, Roy began to inform Volker of what happened. By the time he had finished, Volker looked pissed. "The mission was completed and the data recovered." Roy quickly added, handing him the small object, hoping to quell the South Africans wraith. And it did, Volker simmered down, a smirk playing across his lips.

"Good. It would've been a shame to punish them. They are my favorites, after all. You'll be disciplining the little fuck that caused this shit storm, hm?"

Roy nodded his head, inwardly grateful the South African hadn't thrown them to the dogs like he had so many before him. "Anything else, Sir?" He asked, eager to leave and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Actually, yes, there's something I need to discuss with you," Hoyt trailed off, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips.

* * *

How was it? What do you think?! I am really excited/nervous to hear your thoughts on it.

The important question is: **should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

I'm not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews. It's early days, so I'll stay optimistic. I'd appreciate any feedback! (:

**Still looking for a much needed beta reader to help polish up my grammar and sentence flow!**

This is a Vaas x OC story, just in case you missed that. (: And he WILL be in the next chapter. I promise! And chapter 4 will be all about him. ;)

This chapter gives you a bit more insight to my ocs, what they're thinking, feeling and what state of mind they are currently in. Things will be progressing in the next chapter and we'll have a lot of Vaas from then on.

Big thanks to JourneyIntoMadness for her help. Go check out her FC3 fic!

Rated M for language.

* * *

A stifling tension settled in the debriefing room, an unseen force pressing down on them with a heavy weight, squeezing the air from their lungs. Eyes connected across the table, flickering from one person to the next, silent words passing between them. The elephant in the room, Kyle, stood in the far corner, casting each of his team mates a fleeting glance, shrinking further into the crevice when they responded with a glare.

The off white walls and fluorescent light slowly began to fade in and out of reality, the bland interior of the room offered no visual stimulation to the occupants, putting them into a catatonic state of boredom. The unyielding, scratchy seats dug uncomfortably into their skin, making them fidget continuously in an attempt to find an adequate position that didn't cause their bones to ache. Fingers drummed against the mahogany grain of the table, the soft, rhythmical beat filling silence, causing the others to glare at the one whom dared shatter the muteness.

Polystyrene cups littered the table, bone dry; the only purpose they served now was to be picked at, fingers pinching at the edges, slowly whittling away at the synthetic cup, leaving flakes of white strewn across the table. The odd creak of a chair would pull them from their reverie, the bored occupant moving back and forth on the grey carpet, twisting and spinning boredly.

Charlie rested his forehead against the table, arms encompassing him; eyes firmly shut. He listened intently to the rustling of clothes, soft sighs and dull tapping on surfaces. How long had they been waiting there? He didn't know. Time seemed frozen; imprisoning them to the debriefing room for all eternity. Charlie ground his teeth with frustration, all the sitting around and waiting began to take it's toll, lulling his body into a state of fatigue. He lifted his head, eyes sweeping across the table curiously.

Teddy leaned back in his chair, knee bobbing up and down, foot softly tapping against the floor. His eyes stared unwavering at the table, his mind anywhere but the confines of the small room. Beside him, Lucas fiddled restlessly with a pen, twirling it between his fingers, stopping only to push the top down in rapid succession; the clicking began to get on Charlie's nerves. Eli leaned over the table, green eyes focused on the cup in front of her, slowly peeling away at the exterior. She stared with such concentration, Charlie was sure she had stopped blinking. He glanced at Kyle, disgust twisting vilely in his stomach, Charlie forced himself to look away, glaring daggers at the blank white board mounted on the wall.

The mercs abruptly stood when the door opened, Roy walked in, a deep scowl on his face and a manila folder tucked beneath his arm. A sharp clap resounded when he slapped the file onto the table with unneeded force. He stood at the head of the table, regarding each of them with disapproval.

"Oh, you guys are very fucking lucky," he began sharply. "Since you completed the mission, Volker isn't going to punish you." A chorus of sighs followed his words.

"That doesn't mean you're off the fucking hook! Especially you, Jackson!" At the mention of his name, Kyle swallowed thickly, standing rigidly at the back of the room.

"Volker has given me strict instructions that you're to be punished. _Severely._" The cold undertone in Roy's voice caused him to shudder grimly, cringing at the possible scenarios playing over in his brain.

Roy flipped open the folder, pulling sheets of paper and photo's out, spreading them onto the table. He picked up a glossy photo of Sunny's smiling face, pinning it to the wall behind him.

"Sunny Temsford, aka. '_Sunshine'. _Born in Florida, enlisted into the military at the age of eighteen, graduating at the top of his class with outstanding marksmanship and teamwork. Intelligent, quick witted, strong, unwavering resolve and loyalty," Roy flashed Kyle a look at the mention of the latter. "Can someone please tell me why the _fuck _we're down one exceptional soldier?"

They stood rigid, with their arms behind their backs, guilt stricken eyes glued to the table. No one dared breathe when Roy's weighted gaze passed over them, probing them to answer his questions.

The mercs jumped with surprise when his fist banged against the table. "I asked you a fucking question!" He hissed darkly, words dripping with venom. "Lennox! Report!"

"We arrived at eighteen hundred hours and began our hike through the jungle. It took us two days trekking through the heavy undergrowth to reach our destination. The time was seventeen hundred hours when we arrived," she began to explain, a speech she had practised over and over throughout the entire day. She had expected this and wanted to get it over with as quickly and painless as possible. Eli explained the mission with as much detail she recalled. All eyes focused entirely on her, listening intently to every word she spoke.

"I ordered the team to scatter, meet up at the safe point. When we got there, Temsford was no where to be seen." Eli muttered through gritted teeth, fists curled into a vice; her hands shook from the tension, knuckles turning white. Her scowl deepened, she turned her head towards Kyle, giving the young merc a bone chilling glare.

Roy stood silent, carefully absorbing her words. He turned his interrogative gaze to Jackson, whom shook on the spot. He demanded the young merc explain things from his point of view, much to the dismay of the others, and he did. By the time he had finished, the others mercs were ready to lunge at him, running their knives through his empty skull to satiate the overwhelming need to avenge Sunny. Roy dismissed them, ordering the mercs to take some R&R time to sort themselves out. He gave them strict instructions that Jackson was not to be harmed in any way, shape or form unless he said so. He knew that if left unchecked, the young merc would end up being cornered by one of them and more than likely beaten to a bloody pulp.

Charlie sighed with relief when he exited the stuffy debriefing room, he was beginning to lose his sanity in the claustrophobic space. The medic strode along side Teddy and Lucas, a silence between them. They made a bee-line for the wreck room, where bottles of beer, pizza and a games console awaited them. He turned at the sound of footsteps behind them, Eli dragged her heavy feet, head hung low; she disappeared down a branching corridor and out of sight.

* * *

Tired green eyes stared unfocused at the far wall, the spider web cracks danced and warped, twisting into obscure patterns. The sound of silence hummed deafeningly in her ears; a constant reminder of the cold surroundings.

_Sunny._

The name cut deep into her skin, sadness and guilt pouring profusely from the festering wounds of grief. Images of her best friend flashed viciously through her mind, stabbing her head with invisible pins of torture. Her heart ached heavily; shuddering painfully in her constricted chest. She desperately wanted to hear his voice, to hear him tell one of his awful jokes that always made her smile. His last words rang loudly in her ears, a constant gong reminding her of her failure.

_Don't worry about these jokers, I've got 'em covered! _

An unseen hand gripped around her throat tightly, pressing painfully against her windpipe; cutting off the air to a small trickle. A quiet sob muffled into the sleeve of her shirt, thoughts fluttered in her mind, relentlessly assaulting her with question after question, sparking and turning the wheels in her brain to life. Her listless eyes weighed heavy with fatigue, darkening the shadows beneath them. Sleep eluded her, forgotten amongst the tide of thinking. A solitary tear slid down her pale face; she quickly wiped the emotion away, pushing it to the dark recesses of her mind, locking it behind a heavy door, throwing the key away.

Time began to blur, reality warped. How long had she been sitting in the aircraft hangar? Vaguely, she wondered if she were dreaming, a twisted nightmare taunting her mind. A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth at the sight of her knuckles; an ugly raw red, tarnishing her pale complexion. Her hand throbbed with memory when she thought back to the events that unfolded earlier that day. She ground her teeth together in anger, wiping furiously at her eyes red-rimmed eyes that threatened to weep, inwardly disgusted with her weak display of emotion.

_Fuck fuck fuck! _

Eli abruptly stood, her boots thudded loudly against the floor, her strides quick and wide; she moved up and down, drawing erratic figures of eight. The muscles in her shoulders pulled taut from stress, causing pain to stab at her neck and shoulders, grating at her fraying nerves. Shaking fingers grabbed fistfuls of hair, tangling the strands and tugging them roughly, as if to pull the whirlwind of thoughts out of her pounding skull.

She stopped, staring with wide eyes at the concrete floor beneath her. In her still moment she noticed how her body trembled, her breathes short and laboured. Eli wanted to scream until her lungs burned, until her head exploded, leaving her in dark solace. She hit her forehead with the heel of her palm repeatedly in an attempt to erase the voices and images. She didn't want to see, to remember. She would rather forget Sunny, remove all traces of his existence from her mind if it stopped the overwhelming pain throbbing in her heart.

"God damn it, Sunny!" She whispered harshly through gritted teeth. "God fucking damn it!"

Her boot collided against the wall with a dull thud, she repeated the action several times until she grew tired, a prickling sensation spreading through her foot. Eli braced herself against the wall, the cool concrete felt good against her sweaty brow and she sighed, the temptation to hit her skull against it was almost overwhelming.

Desperate for release, Eli fished into one of the many pockets of her cargo pants, reaching for a small, plastic bag she kept for emergencies. She held up the bag, staring blankly at the small, white pills inside: the saviour in her hour of need. Without delay, she dropped the two pills into her shaking palm and threw her head back, swallowing the drugs. She pressed her back into the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor. There she waited, anxious for the drugs to take hold, melting away reality.

A drowsy sensation began to creep in. Her eyes became heavy, the sights and sounds around her dulled and muted. Her tense muscled slackened, leaving them feeling heavy and dead. The chaos in her mind drifted away on an unseen breeze, fluttering in the distance.

Eli sighed with contentment, enjoying her moment of peace. She sat in the hangar for a long time before she stood, her legs shaky and weighted from the numbness the drugs had given her. She wobbled over out of the door and made her way to the barracks, eager to get into her cot before the effects wore off and reality came knocking once more.

* * *

With the new dawn, came another wave of emotions. The mercs crawled out of their respective cots, hung over and agitated. Roy had given them a reprieve from their duties for the day, allowing his team a moment to themselves, to grieve the loss of their friend and comrade. They sat in the furthest corner of the bustling mess hall, the sound of silence amongst them. The food and drink remained uneaten, pushed around their plates with disinterest. Their stomachs consumed with grief, yet no one dare speak of it.

The bottle of water in her hands became the focus of her attention, the purpose of gradually peeling off the label became her sole focus. Eli felt numb, her mind void of all thoughts and feelings. She could sense the probing gazes of the others stabbing at her from every side and she ignored them, building up an invisible wall to block them all out.

Eli barely even noticed when Lucas began to speak, informing the group that Roy had wanted to speak with them in his office. When the group stood, she remained in her seat, oblivious to the world around her. Charlie tabbed her on the shoulder and he quickly recoiled, the dark look she gave burnt his skin like acid.

"Roy wants to see us," he told her, his voice cracked awkwardly and he cringed, clearing his suddenly parched throat.

They stood rigidly in Roy's small office, their muscular forms consumed the small space and they found themselves feeling slightly claustrophobic from the close proximity of one another. Roy sat pensively behind his desk, resting his elbows on the worn surface. He regarded each of them cautiously, studying their pale complexions, the deep, embedded scowls and tense shoulders. Kyle stood next to Teddy awkwardly, the latter dwarfing him with his massive size.

"Volker's got a job lined up for you."

They all gawked, eyes wide and mouths open. "But sir, we've only just got back." Lucas said in disbelief, staring at Roy as if the man had a second head sprouting from his shoulder.

Roy scrubbed a callous hand over his face and sighed. "I know, King, but the boss has an important job and he wants you to do it."

"What's the mission?" All eyes turned to Eli when she spoke, her voice toneless, yet tired. She stared unwavering at Roy, green eyes burning a hole into his brown. She stood rigid, desperately trying not to touch anyone or anything in the room.

"I'll be sending you to the northern island. Volker wants you to _assist _the pirates in re taking the outposts and pushing back the rebels."

"The pirates?!"

"He wants us to clean up their mess?"

"God damn it I hate those guys!"

They began to mutter and ramble amongst themselves, each expressing their disdain for the pirates. It was no great secret that the pirates and mercs despised each other. Volker had drawn a line in the sand, making it explicitly clear they were not to kill one another.

"Alright, settle down!" Roy barked authoritatively and the room immediately fell silent. "This isn't just some fucking clean up mission. I need you to go in there and enforce the law. Volker wants you to stomp on the rebels, push them back, show them who's boss. Their getting cocky and we need to put a stop to it."

Teddy spoke up. "What about our other assignments, sir? We have a job in Mexico in six days."

"Don't worry, Lawson, you'll still be carrying that out." They looked at him with confusion and Roy began to explain. "I'll be sending three of you to the northern island to begin with. Lawson will stay here and keep things rolling. You'll be taking Delta team with you on the job in Mexico."

"Delta Team? Those guys are a bunch of rookies!" Charlie muttered with disdain. There was a sort of rivalry amongst the other teams of mercs and they outwardly expressed their disdain of one another; Alpha Team and Delta Team never saw eye to eye.

"Poor Teddy Bear," Lucas sympathized, clapping the man on the back. Teddy snorted derisively, but kept quiet. He wasn't one to argue with orders from his superior office.

_At least I'll be in charge. _He inwardly mused.

"Who are the unlucky bastards that gets to wipe the pirates asses?" Charlie enquired. Lucas muttered inaudibly under his breath in response to the Medic's words, catching Roy's attention.

"Thank you for volunteering, King," the aforementioned man groaned, his shoulders sagged and his head fell to his chest.

"Jackson is on probation from here on out. He'll be confined to the compound for the next six weeks. After that, he'll be joining you. Volker says it'll be good for him to spend some time with the pirates, thinks he might pick up a few things, grow some hair on his balls."

"Damn it!" Lucas hissed angrily, biting hard on the back of his teeth. Roy flashed him a look of warning and he withdrew instantly, glaring at the floor like a petulant child.

"Did your dick fall off in the Jungle, King?" Roy questioned gruffly.

"No sir."

"Then tell me, why the fuck are you whining like a god damn pussy, huh? When I give you an order, you take it and shut your cock holster!" His voice quickly rose to a shout. The veins in his neck pulsated angrily, skin flushing red. Lucas quickly nodded his head, looking everywhere but the blazing brown eyes that threatened to burn him alive.

Roy sighed through his nose, turning his attention back on the other mercs. "Lennox, Hyde, you two will be posted there as well."

"Sir?" Her brows pulled together with question.

"I want you to work with Vaas Montenegro, the pirate lord. He'll be giving you orders and I expect you to follow them to the letter. You're still under Volker's command, so if he tells you to do something, you do it, got it?"

With little room to argue, Eli relented. "Yes sir."

"Good. I want you to show them how we work, how the pros do it so don't fuck it up and make me look like a cunt. And when Jackson joins you, I don't want to hear shit about you two getting into a handbag fight. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

Roy nodded his head, satisfied. "You'll receive care packages every three weeks. If you have any special requests, take it up with the supply officer." At the mention of care packages every _three weeks_, the mercs exchanged concerned looks.

"How long is this job, sir?" Teddy piped up, voicing their unanimous question.

"Indefinite, Lawson. Volker didn't say how long you'd be out there, but I suspect this will be for the long haul," he paused, watching how their demeanour changed. He could almost hear them mentally cursing.

"Lawson will stay here, take care of the other assignments Volker has set us up for. When he's done, he'll join you. And please, for the sake of my sanity, don't start some fucking war with the pirates, got it?"

"Yes sir!" They said simultaneously.

"Good. Briefing on the mission will take place tomorrow at oh-six-hundred. Lennox, I need a word. The rest of you are dismissed."

The others filed out of the room, shutting the door behind them with finality; silence consumed the room, a stifling tension curled around her throat, threatening to squeeze her windpipe, shutting off the air that trickled thinly through her lungs. Eli shifted her weight from one foot to the other, fingers gripped tightly behind her back. Her eyes flickered to Roy, whom watched her like a hawk.

"How are you holding up?" He asked carefully. Eli stiffened at the question, brow furrowed, jaw winding tighter. Oh how she hated those words.

_He's just concerned. Calm down. It's Roy. _

"Pretty well, sir," came the well practised reply. "All things considered."

Roy bobbed his head. "Sunny was a good merc," he sighed heavily. "A good friend of yours too."

"Yes."

"I know you're all unhappy with the current situation. I am too. Believe me, I tried to convince Volker to send another squad, hell, even Omega Team, but he wouldn't listen," he sighed with resignation. "Said he only trusts you guys not to fuck it up."

Volker had been absolute and unwavering in his decision to send Roy's mercs, Alpha Team. The South African didn't trust the other mercs; he couldn't afford any mistakes. He had to send the best to get the job done, despite how much he and Roy disliked the idea.

"It's not ideal sending you with Jackson, but this is business, you'll have to suck it up and put your differences aside. I don't want to get notified that you've caved his fucking skull in, okay?" He said with an authoritative tone, giving her a pointed look.

"I understand, sir," she muttered obediently through gritted teeth, eyes never straying from the wall in front of her.

"Any questions?"

"What are you going to do with Jackson exactly?" She spat sharply, his name tasted like poison on her tongue. "We're out there in the field and he gets to sit here working on his tan?"

He sighed loudly, running a hand over his bald head. "I'm going to discipline him."

* * *

I know this chapter severely lacked canon characters. I'm sorry. I just wanted to to get a better insight to the OC's. Don't worry though, there will be more Vaas in the next chapter, okay? I promise.

Please review. I am anxious to hear your thoughts on this.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to those who have reviewed: JourneyIntoMadness, Mitzi Stardust, Lily, Zoeythara, Black-fl0wer & Acid Rain2345! I can't tell you how pleased I am with you! I'm very grateful you took the time out to review. (:

Things are going to be picking up from now and Vaas is making his second début! He'll be in it much, much more from this point on. So enjoy it~! :3

Still looking for a beta reader! (hinthint)

**Rated M for language.**

* * *

The new dawn arrived much too soon. After a briefing on their mission, the trio climbed into the helicopter; their gear and supplies already loaded and ready to go. They set off for the Northern Island, watching the Jungle pass beneath them in a blur of colours. The loud thrum of the helicopter blades pulsated all around them, the vibrations tingling up their spine and legs. The mercs stared out of the open hatch, the warm air whipping around them in a flurry. In the distance they could see the large structures of the radio towers, green flashing at the peak. They passed over many of the pirate camps; black smoke billowing from the fires; red flags fluttering in the wind.

They touched down on one of the pirate occupied bases and quickly jumped out, unloading their gear into the back of a truck that waited nearby; trunks and bags, filled with the necessities for their mission. It was a large haul, but they couldn't afford to be without. They climbed into the truck, the engine sputtering to life, jostling ungraciously side to side as they drove down a dirt road. Lucas gripped the wheel deathly tight, eyes glaring daggers beneath his sun glasses. Charlie sat rigidly beside him, watching the jungle scenery pass by in a blur of greens. Eli drew the short straw, clinging onto the side for dear life in the back, trying not to be crushed between the equipment.

They finally arrived at their destination. A large compound with shanty's and lookout towers, dozens of men milling around on the ground and roof tops. The guard at the entrance had been none too friendly, pointing his rifle in their faces, demanding to know who they were and why they were there. After a shouting match and a few curse words, the pirate reluctantly allowed them entrance and the trio drove up the dirt road, agitated and tense. They gazed left and right, taking in every detail of the terrain that they could. Counting each guard, gate and tower they drove by.

Lucas pulled the truck to a stop next to another vehicle and cut the engine. They slid out, warily eyeing the group of men that had stepped outside upon their arrival, each of the men armed; regarding the new comers with visible disdain.

"Who the hell are you?" One of the pirates questioned gruffly. When none of them seemed inclined to answer, he quickly strode forward, roughly poking Lucas in the chest with the nozzle of his weapon.

"I asked you a fucking question!" He spat heatedly, glaring at the silent man. The pirate ground his teeth together with frustration and grabbed the strap of Lucas's military vest, yanking him forward; their faces only inches apart.

Lucas scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. "What the hell, dude, ever heard of a toothbrush?"

"Bastard!" He shouted, ready to hit the merc with the butt of his rifle.

"Hey hey hey! Is that anyway to treat our guests?" A voice shouted suddenly, causing all heads to turn. A man leaned against a beam of one of the shanty's hand resting casually at his hip, fingers toying with the flap of his pistol holster. He flashed the mercs a wide grin and sauntered towards them.

"Put the fucking weapon down, hermano. These are Volker's bitches. You touch them, you're dead, got it?" He threatened the pirate and he immediately nodded, taking quick steps away from the trio, moving to the back of the group of pirates, hiding away from view.

"I'm sorry about my dogs, they don't like strangers." He held his hands in a prayer position in front of his face, an apologetic gesture.

"Don't worry, they only bite if I tell them to." The mercs didn't feel very re assured by the tone in which he spoke or the devilish smirk he wore. In fact, it put them further on edge.

"Vaas Montenegro, at your service." Vaas introduced with a mock of a bow. He was a head taller than Eli. His tanned skin glistened with sweat, trailing across the dirt on his arms. He had an interesting haircut, a Mohawk, something Lucas inwardly found amusing. An odd assortment of necklaces dangled from his neck and bracelets on his wrist; white bandages on his fingers. His colours a similar fashion to the other pirates around him.

"I guess black and red are in this season." Lucas quietly commented and Eli had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop the smile creeping onto her face.

_Better than yellow._ She inwardly mused.

"Welcome to my kingdom, motherfuckers!" He announced loudly, holding his arms out at length, gesturing all around him.

"So! Who the fuck are you three?" He questioned sharply, gesturing to them with a jut of his chin. Vaas strode up and down in front of them with confidence, like a predator would circle it's prey, his eyes raking over each of them with interest. He flashed Eli a wolfish smile when he looked her over, taking his sweet time when he reached her chest, eyes lingering for more than what would be deemed appropriate. She frowned, giving him a dark glare, which only caused his smile to widen.

"Lucas King," he introduced, giving a polite nod of his head. Everyone turned their gaze to Charlie expectantly.

"Charlie Hyde," he said with confidence, chest puffed out, chin tilted upwards. A short pause followed and all eyes turned to Eli. She huffed with annoyance, scowling deeply at the many eyes peering at her.

Eli muttered inaudibly, causing Vaas to pause, taking a step closer, he leaned in.

"Speak up, honey," he said, cupping his ear dangerously close to her lips. Eli pulled away with a grimace, pressing her back into the truck.

"Eli Lennox," she ground out with length, seething from his unwelcome close proximity.

"Let's put your shit away, hm?" Vaas suggested and looked at the group of pirates standing behind him. "If you useless fucks haven't got anything better to do, you can take their junk to their accommodation!" The pirates stood still for a moment, something Vaas found agitating.

"NOW MOTHERFUCKERS!" He bellowed loudly, causing the pirates to scramble into action, grabbing their gear and running out of sight.

"Come, I'll show you to your new homes!" They wanted to protest, tell him that they would find it themselves, but Vaas was already walking in the direction the other pirates had disappeared to. He stopped for a moment, pivoting on his heel and began to walk backwards.

"I don't have all fucking day." They reluctantly followed, trying to keep a distance from the pirate lord, whom had other ideas. Vaas slowed his pace until he was between Charlie and Lucas, slinging his arms over their shoulders, pulling them close.

"This is going to be fun." He said with a wide grin, mind a buzz with devilish ideas.

Their quarters sat away from the other shanty's, offering them a small amount of privacy. Unfortunately, that meant they were housed on either side the pirate lord. It looked like a stereotypical shanty. The windows barred with metal grating, allowing only small slithers of sunlight into the dusty room. A small, worn out bed with an old wooden crate for a bedside table were pushed into the corner, leaving space between the wall. The book shelf looked rotten, used only to stack unread books and beer bottles. Yellow tinged posters peeled at the corners, barely holding onto the wall, the pictures faded and unreadable.

The floorboards creaked awkwardly with each step, making it difficult to move across the space unheard. The only saving grace, a small refrigerator, lime-scale encrusted sink and a weapon locker. The former hummed loudly, rusted and covered with a thick layer of dust. A broken padlock hung from the locker, a large dent on the front, warping the metal and jarring the door.

_Home sweet home. _She sighed quietly, turning the tap on the sink; somewhat surprised it actually worked.

"What do you think, hermana?" Vaas asked, slinging an arm around her shoulder. Without waiting for a reply, he continued to speak. "If you need anything, I'm right next door, okay?" He grinned, giving her a wink.

"_Anything_ at all." The suggestive tone in which he spoke caused her to inwardly cringe.

"Thanks," she replied tonelessly, shrugging his arm away from her. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Follow me, amigo's, your room is right over here." The two mercs reluctantly followed the pirate lord, their heavy boots thunked loudly against the planks of wood that served as a small wrap around, giving them a good view of the surrounding area.

Once alone, Eli began to unpack her gear that had been unceremoniously slung onto the floor. She pulled out a pouch of knives, fanning them across the table in perfect decoration. Eli picked up a large hunting knife, running a finger across the cool metal, admiring the sleek curve. Footsteps entering the room broke her from the reverie; she cast a glance over her shoulder and scowled. Vaas casually made his way across the floor and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Bored of playing tour guide?" She asked wryly with her back to him, her attention solely on the weapons in front of her. When Vaas failed to reply after a long length of time, she turned around curiously.

"Hey!" She hissed angrily. The pirate lord rummaged through her bag nonchalantly, pulling out her personal belongings, throwing them onto the bed.

"You have a lot of shit, you know," he commented boredly, tossing a book onto the mattress beside him.

"What the fuck are these?" He asked, pulling out a small, wooden carving of what looked to be a tiger. He held it up, turning it over in his hands, running his fingers over the smooth curves of the wood. He glanced down at the bag and noticed there was an abundance of them, all different species.

Eli snatched the figure from his grasp and grabbed the bag. "Keep your bloody nose out of my stuff!" She hissed darkly, placing the bag roughly onto the table.

Vaas quirked a brow, amused. "Did you make those?" Ignoring the pirate lords question, she turned, leaning her lower back against the table.

"The rebels," she began. A look of disgust flashed cross his face at the mention of them.

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Straight down to business," he chuckled. "Volker's got you bitches trained well." Eli rolled her eyes, sighing with exasperation. Working with the pirate lord was going to be a test of her integrity.

"The sooner we get started, the sooner we can leave." _And the sooner I can forget about Sunny._

Eli was all too eager to start her mission, throwing herself head first into the deep end. It gave her little time to thing of anything else, just as she wanted it. She turned, fishing a map out of her bag, pinning it securely to the wall. Each outpost was marked with a red circle, the radio towers with yellow and the rebel controlled areas in blue.

"Aw, what's wrong, hermana? You don't like my company?" Vaas teased, mocking a pout. "You better get fucking used to it. This is my island, okay? If you're gonna be here, you better play ball. I don't want no boring shit from you." His abrupt change in demeanor piqued her interest and she spun on her heel to face him. He sat rigid, the muscles in his arms twitching with spasms. The dark circles beneath his wide, red rimmed eyes confirmed her suspicious that he was a junkie. And if she had to guess, a hard core one at that.

_Who am I to judge? _

Eli scowled, turning her attention back to the map on the wall, studying each outpost and radio tower with keen interest. Roy had briefed them on the mission as best he could; satellite images, grainy photo's and vague Intel from the locals whom were willing to divulge information for a price. They lacked vital facts, which called for a recon mission, something Eli hated with a passion, especially when she lacked the necessary tools and man power to carry it out in a timely manner. It would take them a while to scope out the captured territory on foot.

"Your phone is a piece of shit. Volker's must be paying you guys monkey nuts." Vaas commented boredly. He was playing with her phone, jabbing at the buttons with unnecessary force.

"It's a satellite phone, it's not supposed to be pretty." She seethed, biting hard on the back of her teeth. "Could you stop touching my stuff? _Please?_"

"Since you asked so nicely," he grinned, throwing the phone onto the mattress. Vaas stood from the bed, stretching his arms above his heard, the joints popping audibly. The pirate lord crossed the room, standing beside Eli with his hands on his hips, looking at the map with disinterest.

"Doc, Sparky! Get your asses in here!" Eli bellowed loudly.

The loud sound of hurried footsteps followed and the two men stood in the door. "You rang?" Lucas drawled, pushing passed Charlie and making his way to stand beside Eli.

"Show us the last outposts and radio towers they took, _please." _

"Here," he pointed, leaning over Eli's shoulder. "Here," he turned his face into her, his nose almost touching her cheek. "And here..." he whispered quietly, his hot breath pouring over the skin of her neck. Vaas abruptly coughed when something hit him roughly in the gut.

"Don't stand so close next time," her voice dropped an octave, cold and toneless. She gave the pirate a glare when he grinned madly, an indecipherable emotion flickered across his face and she tensed, brows furrowing.

This mercenary was going to be trouble. And he liked that.

Lucas cleared his throat, glancing between Vaas and Eli, the two stared unwavering at one another, one amused, the other pissed off. "So, uh, about the outposts?" He said awkwardly, gesturing to the map.

"What's the plan?"

Eli moved across the room and pulled out a hard case, unclasping the locks on the front. Inside the protective shell, a thick, hardy laptop sat snug, encased within carefully molded foam to hold it in place. She took the laptop out, placing it on the table and took up a seat. She flipped the laptop open, pressing the power button, bringing it to life. A series of login screens and encrypted pages flickered to life, demanding passwords and identification. Once she had passed through the security checks, her desktop flashed onto the screen.

Charlie grinned at her desktop wallpaper, a group photo of Alpha squad surrounded by snow. One of their toughest missions, and one he would not soon forget.

Vaas said nothing, watching with keen interest when she brought up satellite pictures, highlighted and marked with co ordinates, pinpointing each outpost and radio tower. The images were grainy and blurred, distorting the clarity. They all leaned in, squinting to get a better view of the land.

"Google Earth is better than this shit." Lucas huffed with annoyance. He could barely tell the difference between the trees and the outposts! How were they supposed to work with such poor images?

"Be quiet, Sparky. You know it took the tech boys a lot of effort to get a hold of these." He scoffed at Charlie's words.

"I could have done a better job." Lucas, the techie of the group, prided himself on collecting information and his proficiency in electronic devices. He was more of a field work kind of guy, and very skilled with a gun. Roy had had a difficult time placing him in a specialized field, so he got stuck between the two, luckily for Lucas. He often got itchy feet sitting in the base all day.

"Roy should've asked me," he muttered.

"Anyway," she interrupted, giving Lucas a pointed look to drop the matter. "I think we should do a little recon, get a lay of the land." Lucas butted in.

"We've only just got here!"

"If you need your beauty sleep, Lucas, we can begin the mission tomorrow. I mean, if that's okay with you? It's not as if this is important or anything." Eli spat with the utmost sarcasm she could muster, giving him a flat look. Charlie snickered, nudging Lucas with his elbow. The techie scowled, shooting him a mean look.

"Perhaps it would be best if we pressed on. There's a lot of ground to cover with each outpost. If we don't get started soon, we're only prolonging our stay here." Charlie chimed in, glancing between the two glaring figures.

Lucas relented with a sigh. "You're right. Sorry, Looney Tunes."

Eli grinned, reaching over and patting his head affectionately, something she did often. "The sooner we leave, the sooner I can kick your ass at video games."

"You wish!"

She turned back to the laptop, eyes flickering across the pixelated images. "Sparky, you and I will take this one. Take note of any patrols, how frequent and how many. I want to know the number of men they have posted and what sort of weapons they're carrying," she instructed with authority, pointing to an outpost ten klicks to the north. Eli cast a look over her shoulder, suspicious from the lack of curse words and smart ass comments. Vaas had slipped away, disappearing into the camp, much to her annoyance.

"See these cliffs here?" She pointed to a blur of white curving around the outpost. "I want to perch up here. It'll give us the perfect vantage point and keep us out of harms way. We won't have to worry about any of the wildlife if we're up in a tree or flat on the rocks." Lucas agreed, muttering something about boars and how much he detested them. On more than one occasion had a swine barreled into him, giving away his position. He hated them.

"Doc, I want you to scope this one out. Whilst you're there, I want you to investigate the radio tower, check the integrity." The two men nodded obediently, soaking up her orders like sponges.

"Keep at a distance and stay hidden. I don't want anyone dying on the first day here."

"Well it's not exactly on the top of my today's to do list."

"We'll rendezvous here at nineteen-hundred-hours," she said, pointing to the mark on the map. "With the towers down, we won't be able to radio in. You'll be flying solo. If things take a dive, use these." Eli handed them each a small, satellite phone.

"Don't use them unless it's important."

"This thing is older than me!"

"You wish."

"I wasn't fucking talk to you, Sparky."

"Shut up!" She said with exasperation. "Each of our numbers are on speed dial, okay? So if you're in a pinch, just hit one or two."

"Can I order pizza if I'm holed up in a tree?" Lucas said with a grin. "Hey!" He yelped, rubbing the back of his head where Eli had slapped him.

"Get geared up and we'll head out soon." Eli told them before marching out of the room in search of Vaas.

She made her way down the small incline, towards what appeared to be a make-shift bar, bustling with pirates, laughing and talking loudly among themselves. She rose a brow at the people tied in bonds, hanging from the ceiling and bound to chairs, being taunted and teased by the drunken louts. Cages were in abundance around the camp, made from sturdy wood and thick rope. Some full, others empty. Though they wouldn't stay that way for long, if she knew the pirates. Dogs snapped and snarled, their chains chinked loudly when they tried to lunge for her, teeth bared. She snapped her own teeth at them in response, skirting out of their reach.

Ignoring the pleas for help and outstretched hands, she made her way to where Vaas was, sitting proudly on top of a cage in a lawn chair, beer in his hand, a small boom box playing an obnoxious song beside him.

"Hey, Vaas!" She called loudly over the music. "Vaas!" At the call of his name, Vaas lowered the volume and turned towards her, a grin on his face.

"I knew you'd be screaming my name at some point, hermana, but I didn't think it'd be so fucking soon!" Vaas teased, lifting his sun glasses and giving her a wink.

"That's lovely," she replied sarcastically. "Anyway, can we borrow some vehicles?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He sighed loudly. "I don't like the fact that you bitches are sniffing around my fucking business, okay? I let you stay in my camp, oh you're welcome by the way, but that's as far as my generosity goes. So no, you can't borrow my shit."

Eli gave a low, throaty growl, shooting the man a glacial glare. "Fine," she muttered, stomping away and back to her shanty to retrieve the necessary gear she would need.

Lucas and Charlie filed into her room all locked and loaded, a small pack on their backs with the essentials for their recon mission. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm afraid we'll be making the journey on foot."

They gave a loud groan. "Why?"

"'Cause Vaas doesn't want to share his toys," she ground out. "It's better this way. It'll be easier to slip in undetected. The roads will be too dangerous."

Lucas huffed audibly, crossing his arms over his chest. "This sucks."

"Grow up, please?" Eli retorted, throwing her gaze up to the ceiling. She picked up her knives, placing them each in their respective holsters and fastened the pouch around her thigh. She buckled the gun hostler around her torso and slid her machete into the sheath on her back. Eli moved over to a hard case, flipping open the latches to reveal her beloved Z93 sniper rifle. The weapon felt heavy in her grasp; she checked every dismantled piece of the gun along with the several clips of different types of ammo, scopes and suppressors. Satisfied it was in tip top condition, she placed it securely in her pack, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Ready to roll, Big Mama?" Lucas grinned excitedly.

"Let's go."

* * *

Yay! We finally got to see Vaas! ;) What did you think? Was he in character? Stay tuned: the next chapter belongs entirely to Vaas! ;D

Thanks again to all those who reviewed! I love you guys! :')

Just so you know, I am going to try and update once a week so I don't get behind. I have chapter 6 in the works right now, but I am trying to stay at least two chapters a head of myself so I have a little time in case I get a case of _you know what. _

Please review! I love hearing from you guys. (:


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much to those who reviewed the last chapter. You guys rock! Seriously, you brighten up my day and give me such great inspiration to push on with my fanfic!

ita-chan01, laurelley, Acid Rain2345, Lily, Black-fl0wer, XxxGamer GirlxxX, LFJohnson99, Zoeythara, Katerinapetrova6969 & Carly! A big thank you to those who have favorited this story and are currently following. I love you guys!

As always, thank you to JourneyIntoMadness for inspiring me with her awesome Far Cry 3 fic and for mentioning me in her latest chapter! :D

Black-fl0wer has been kind enough to lend me a hand with my fanfiction. She has been such a big help! Thank you, dear! n_n

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SWEARING AND TORTURE.**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Far Cry 3 or any of the characters in the game, sadly. I do own my OC's though.

Anyway, on with the show!

* * *

The trio left their shanty's and made their way down the hill. The pirates looked their way when they passed, but said nothing, turning back to whatever it was that had held their attention before.

"You fuckers off to play Rambo in the jungle, huh? Try not to get eaten alive out there." Vaas called when they walked by, a wicked grin on his face. He chuckled when Eli flipped him off, shooting him a venomous glare over her shoulder.

"Bye bye, try not to miss me too much, hermana!"

Vaas watched the mercs leave the camp, disappearing into the jungle. The build up of tension he had sitting on his shoulders finally released and he sighed, relaxing into his chair. He hadn't been happy with Volker sending his dogs to sniff around his fucking business. There was an itch in the back of his mind, a dark voice whispering satanic words, stoking the pyre of his violent tendencies. Oh, how great the urge to tie the mercs up and slowly torture them was. He sighed with disappointment. Volker had forbade him to harm his precious bitches and he hated it. Still, there were other methods than violence to torture someone, he smirked.

Vaas was eager to find out how far they would go before they cracked.

His moment of peace shattered when the piteous cries for help touched his ears and his anger spiked, muscles winding tighter than a spring. He abandoned his chair and warm beer, jumping down from his post and stomping over to where his new pets awaited. He was silently pleased when his men skirted away from him, eyes glue to the floor.

_Good dogs._ He thought condescendingly, a sneer on his face.

The cries abruptly stopped when the pirate lord came into view. The prisoners shuffled to the back of their cages in fear, eyeing him warily.

"What do you want, hm?" He questioned sharply, his eyes darting from one cage and to the other. "You call for help then you ignore me? That's fucking rude and I don't like it!" Vaas pulled his knife from its sheath, running his thumb up and down the dull edge of the blade. He watched each of them carefully, getting sick satisfaction out of the way they shied away from his gaze, pressing themselves as far away into the cage as they could. A grin spread across his lips and he laughed, causing the prisoners to tremble with fear.

Vaas strode between the pens, his knife thudding against the wooden bars with a hollow sound. At the end he stopped, spinning on his heel and repeating the action. A young man in his late twenties huddled in furthest corner, ducking behind two prisoners caught his attention; one he had mentally ear marked the night before. The pirate lord slowed, crouching down in front of the cage, wrapping his fingers around the bars. Vaas leaned in, eyes dancing with a predatory hunger, teeth glistening from the malicious grin he wore.

"Hey, you," he called quietly, gesturing to the man with the jut of his chin. "Come here for a second, hermano." The man hesitated, looking to the other people with uncertainty. Sucking in a deep, shaky breath the man moved closer, crawling like a wounded animal towards danger. He trembled violently, his eyes blood shot with dark circles beneath them. He swallowed nervously, fiddling with the sleeve of his dirty shirt, grime encrusted nails toying with a loose thread.

Vaas leaned closely, his breathe pouring over the man's face. The man flinched when a hand gently touched to his chin, tilting it left and right. "I see you have piercings. Very trendy, very cool. I like that." He commented softly, an imperturbable, almost friendly tone in his voice. Small, silver studs, loops and barbs protruded from the man's face. Several piercings in his ears, with large gauges and scaffolding bars. Two in each brow, three in his lip. Vaas let go of the young man's face, a wicked grin spreading across his lips.

"You look like the type of guy that wants to stay trendy, yeah?" The man nodded with quick submission. He had seen the pirates lords wrath first hand if you dared keep him waiting.

"Your name's Troy, right?"

"T-Trevor," he stuttered nervously, voice pitching audibly with fear.

"I tell you what, Trevor, I'm going to do you a favor okay?" Vaas continued airily. He leaned forward, head between the bars. "Let's get rid of those old, shitty piercings and get you some new ones." The colour drained from the man's face and he gasped, crawling backwards to the far end of the cage, distancing himself from the insane look the pirate gave him.

"Hey! It's rude to look away when someone is talking to you!" Vaas hissed darkly. "Get the fuck over here, hermano!" When the man remained rooted in his spot, a switch flicked in his mind and the anger inside him grew hot; a swirling storm of chaos, clawing beneath his twitching muscles, ready to be unleashed. Jaw clenched tight, knuckles turning a pale shade, Vaas lunged forward, slamming his hands against the bars.

"TREVOR! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!" He bellowed loudly and the others jumped in fright, pushing the man roughly forward to spare themselves his dark temper.

The pirate lord whistled loudly, two pirates appeared moments later. "This one," he said, gesturing to the man with the point of his knife.

The pirates nodded at his command and moved without hesitation. "Get back!" One of them shouted, pointing the barrel of his gun in their faces.

"One wrong move and I'll shoot you!" The other pirate hastily unlocked the cage, stepping inside and closing the space between him and the prisoner.

"No no no no!" Trevor writhed and flailed, desperately trying to pry the man's vice from his arm. He began to whimper, quietly pleading with the pirate not to hurt him and let him go. Vaas laughed loudly with amusement; he grabbed a fistful of Trevor's hair, roughly yanking back his head, looking directly into his eyes.

"Cry all you want, hermano. No one is going to save you, not even your God. Your soul is _mine._" The dark words sent panic through the prisoners heart; he shouted and screamed, begging for help. It only served to ignite the fire in Vaas more.

The two pirate henchmen dragged him away from the others and to a small shanty. The door opened with an eerie shriek, giving way to a pitch room filled with the soft buzzing of flies. Vaas stepped in first, moving around the blackness with ease. A small, dim bulb flickered to life above him, casting a wane glow over an old, blood spattered table in the center.

They pushed Trevor forward, dragging him to the table and throwing him roughly on the surface. The restraints rubbed uncomfortably against his neck, legs and wrists, cutting into his skin, pinning him to the table. The smell of blood hung heavily in the air, catching in the back of his throat and tasting on his tongue, making him sick and dizzy.

Vaas stood at the head of the table, leaning over him with a grin. The light above gave him a brilliant halo, an angel of torture and death. Trevor pleaded once more, begging for Vaas to let him go back to his cage, not to harm him. Vaas merely ignored him, his mind abuzz with a myriad of ideas and fantasies on how to inflict pain on his new victim.

"Hey, hermano, put some music on. We don't want our guest here to get bored." Vaas said to one of his men. The pirate's disappeared, leaving the two alone. A few moments later, a song began to play over the loudspeakers in the camp.

Vaas moved around the table towards a worktop with an abundance of bloodied toys lain across the surface. The pirate lord was spoiled for choice, he didn't know which one to use! He eyed each instrument carefully, mulling over possible ideas in which to use them. He tapped a finger against his chin in thought. Which one, which one? He sighed, this would be a difficult choice. He enjoyed them all equally. Finally, he picked up a pair of pliers, bloody and with a slight coat of rust.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, hermano, a host should never ignore his guest." Trevor had remained deathly quiet, watching the pirate lord from the corner of his eyes, tears falling across his dirty cheeks.

"It seems that your fucking family isn't willing to pay for you, Trevor." Vaas informed him with a heavy sigh. "But don't worry, even if you're a worthless piece of shit, I still have some uses for you." Vaas stood over him, tilting his head to the side, he smiled, eyes dancing with wicked delight.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Trevor's cries for help were barely heard over the loud pulsating music thrumming through the camp. He writhed, shaking his head side to side to avoid the pirate's grasp.

"Stay the fuck still!" Vaas seethed angrily. His patience began to wear thin very quickly; he couldn't get a good grip on the boy's face and it annoyed him. "Stop crying, you pussy!"

Fingers curled tightly around his windpipe, pinning him flush against the table. Trevor stilled, frozen with fear. The pliers felt cold against his quivering lip, an icy claw scratching at his sweaty skin. The tool clamped around the stud, slowly squeezing into a vice grip. The pirate paused, staring down at him.

"This will hurt a little, okay? Try not to scream too much."

Flesh tore with sickening ease, blood began to drip profusely from the fresh wound on his lip. The sanguine fluid pooled in his mouth, pouring from the hole on his face, sliding down his neck. He sputtered and coughed, red droplets spattering onto Vaas's face. The pirate lord became enrage and he slammed his fist into the man's gut, causing him to wheeze.

"Keep your fucking mouth shut!" A dark sense of madness unhinged his voice, calm and deep, with an unsteady bite that caused any man's heart to shudder with fear.

Vaas continued on without further pause, roughly yanking out the silver studs from his lip, shredding the flesh with each hard pull. Trevor's chin and neck stained a crimson red, droplets dripping from his lips, collecting on the table beneath him. He had remained conscious, much to Vaas's delight.

The pirate lord danced around the table, throwing his head from side to side in tempo with the beat of music, arms above his head, twisting his wrists left and right, conducting an unseen orchestra. He paused in his erratic movements to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow with the crook of his arm.

"You look much better without those pins in your lip," he commented nonchalantly. "Tell me," he stalked closer, head cocked to the side.

"Did you get your tongue pierced?" Trevor's eyes widened drastically and he began to whimper, pulling against the restraints. Vaas grinned, fetching a device from the work top, a twisted metal tool from a horror show.

"Say '_ah_' for me!" The pirate lord said, prying his mouth open with the object. A tight pressure started to build in his jaw when Vaas began to wind the metal twist jutting out of the side. The man cried out in protest, his jaw near the point of breaking.

Vaas picked up a pair of tongs from the worktop, the flat metal edges grabbed his tongue, pinching the muscle in a tight grip. He pulled it at length out of his mouth, a large, silver stud glistened beneath the light. He rose a brow, inwardly wondering why someone would get their tongue pierced. No matter, he would do the kid a favour and remove it, free of charge.

Trevor shrieked and cried, tears streaming down his fear stricken face, diluting the blood painting his cheeks. It took longer than Vaas had anticipated to pull the small metal object free, but once it came loose, blood spurted from the large tear and the boy choked on it, gurgling the thick liquid with a guttural noise. Vaas gave him a hard slap to the face, knocking his head to the side.

"Shut the fuck up, okay? You're getting on my nerves." He sneered coldly, scrunching his nose with disgust at the pitiful look on his face. Vaas's eyes flickered down to Trevor's shaking hands and he frowned, giving him a chastising glare.

"Trevor, you haven't been taking very good care of your nails," Vaas tutted, shaking his head with disapproval. "That's fucking embarrassing, you know. Hygiene is very important! But that's okay, I'll fix that for you. See how fucking nice I am? Huh?" The pirate lord reached over to his workbench, picking up a hammer and a fistful of nails, placing them on the table beside Trevor.

"Listen very closely, Trevor, because I'm only going to say this once," he spoke quiet and soft, but with hidden meaning, his eyes glistened with dark promise waiting to be unleashed at the slightest hint of defiance.

"If you don't fucking stay still, I am going to take this nail-" he held one up in front of him, the light catching on the edges. "-and I am going to hammer them into your fucking hand, okay? That way you'll have to stay still. Sound good?" Trevor nodded his head as best he could and Vaas grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

The pirate lord gripped Trevor's wrist in a vice, pinning his hand flat against the table; he hunched over, eyes squinting and brows furrowed with deep concentration. The cold pliers pinched the skin around the nail, causing Trevor to suck in a quick breath. The pressure gradually built, the ends clamped firm and Vaas began to gently wriggle the pliers, watching with a sadistic grin as the pain passed over his face each time he moved.

"What's wrong, Trevor? Are you not enjoying your manicure?" He questioned impassively. "You don't like my work, huh? Is that it?!" The nail tore from the flesh when a spasm shot through Trevor's finger; he cried out, curling his hand in a protective fist. A haze quickly descended upon Vaas and he became enraged.

"You fucking moved, you pussy! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU'VE FUCKING RUINED MY PERFECT WORK!" An animalistic scream followed his unhinged shouting; Vaas snatched the nail from the table, stabbing it forcefully into Trevor's hand before swiftly bringing down the hammer, pushing it all the way through the skin and into the table. Trevor gave a throaty yell, distorted by his prised open mouth and the rawness of his throat; his voice gradually fading from the constant screaming. The muffled pleas for Vaas to stop went unheard, drowned out by the loud shouting of the pirate lord.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE, BUT YOU DIDN'T FUCKING LISTEN, DID YOU? THIS IS YOUR FAULT, TREVOR. THIS IS _YOUR _FAULT!" Another nail went in. And another. Four nails later, Vaas threw the hammer onto the workbench with a crash, gripping the edge to steady himself; he sucked in deep breathes to calm his unbridled anger; the red mist began to fade, giving way to reality and focus once more. He sighed, scrubbing a shaking hand over his face, he turned, flashing the sobbing Trevor a grin, he sauntered back to the table.

"Now, where were we? Fuck, I forgot." He paused for a moment, eyes sweeping over Trevor, brows furrowed. His chaotic moment had jumbled his thoughts, clouding his short memory; the distorted line of reality began to sharpen, a switch flicking back on in the dark reaches of his mind.

"Oh yeah, I was giving you a fucking manicure!" The pirate lord continued with his work, pulling the nails from his fingers in a rough manner, leaving nothing but bloody stubs with torn flesh.

"Much better. Oh, you're fucking welcome." Vaas moved away from the trembling man, he fished through his pocket, pulling out a cigarette, lighting it up. He gave a slow exhale of satisfaction as he leaned against the worktop, watching the plumes of toxic smoke swirl in the air in tangible wisps, creating a veil of fog throughout the room. Once he had nearly finished, Vaas pushed away from his resting spot and circled the table.

"How are you feeling, hermano?" Trevor remained silent, eyes fixated on the ceiling, sweat collecting on his ghostly white forehead. Paralyzed with fear.

"Don't ignore me, you little shit!" Vaas abruptly shouted, causing the man to jump in surprise. He took the end of his cigarette, stubbing it out on the fresh wound on his tongue.

Trevor's brows knitted together, eyes squeezed shut with the ungodly pain searing through his body. He turned his head to the side, away from Vaas, and vomited what little he had in his stomach. Blood and bile spilled onto the table and floor in a disgusting mess, and Vaas frowned.

"You're making such a mess." He sighed with exasperation. "I'm going to have to punish you for that, you know."

* * *

Night had settled over the island, bringing the jungle alive with the loud hum of the nocturnal animals. The bugs swarmed in masses around the camp, congregating over the groups of men and dancing around the lights. The other pirates hadn't seen hide nor hair of the pirate lord since he had gone inside the shanty. No one had paid any notice to the loud screams of anguish, a common occurrence around the camp, no more than an annoying background noise for them now. When all had grown quiet, they wondered what he was up to.

The rusted, dirty needle punctured the flesh with ease, sliding in and out with fluidity. Vaas gave a sharp tug, pulling the thick, black thread through the hole, repeating the action in a zig zag pattern until he reached the end. He cut the loose thread none too gently with his knife, tying a crude knot in the end. He stood back, admiring his work with a tilt of his head, finger on his chin in thought.

"I like it," he said aloud. "I like it so fucking much, that I think we should do more. What do you think, hermano?" He asked curiously, but Trevor gave no reply. He had blacked out once Vaas had began to violently tear the piercings from his brows; his anger had gotten the better of him.

"What's that? You want me to sew your eye's shut too?" Vaas cupped his ear in mocking, listening intently to the silence that encompassed him. He had sewn Trevor's mouth shut, a form of punishment for the way he had screamed like a bitch, regardless of how many times he had told the man to shut up. Well deserved, he thought.

"Are you sure? Well, if you insist you, crazy fuck." He grinned devilishly, grabbing the needle once more, he leaned over the man's still form. He pinched the skin of his eyelid, pulling it taut and pushing the needle into the delicate tissue, weaving the thread through with a gentleness he rarely used. After all, he wouldn't want it to tear and ruin his hard work. As he was about to begin the second, the door to the shanty opened with a loud groan and he turned, curious as to who would disturb his moment. Eli stood in the door, brow quirked, hand on her hip. Vaas frowned deeply, displeased with her interruption. Couldn't she see he was busy?

"What the fuck do you want?" He ground out angrily, shooting her a vicious glare. Eli ignored his daggered gaze, her green eyes flickered around the room, roaming over the many different tools he often used. She seemed calm, unperturbed as she stepped around the stains of fresh blood on the floor.

"What are you doing?" She asked nonchalantly. Eli turned to the work top, picking up his tools, turning them over in her hands before setting them down with practiced care. Vaas watched her closely, deciphering her reaction to the sights before her.

_She's no stranger to torture. _His mood abruptly changed and he grinned, intrigued by her lack of emotion. And he wondered just how many times she had seen such a sight before.

"Working," he answered, almost exasperated, as if someone had just asked him about the weather.

Eli nodded her head, eyes turning to the body on the table. "Is he still alive?" She asked with little concern and fished into her pocket, pulling out a lollipop, unwrapping the candy and popping it into her mouth. Strawberry, her favourite.

"Pussy passed out half way through," he said with frustration. It always killed the fun when they did that and he hated it. At least he was in for a surprise when he woke up, he grinned sadistically at the thought.

"Huh," she said aloud, leaning over the man's face, the dog tags around her neck dangled in front of him, glistening beneath the light. Vaas looked at her expectantly.

"I didn't know you could sew." It was a simple comment really, one that seemed greatly out of place among the blood and torture all around them. It threw him off. He looked at her oddly, lifting a brow, amused.

"You pick up a lot of things in my line of work, hermana."

"Clearly." She grinned and briefly wondered if he knew how to knit. The image of Vaas in an apron and dress flickered in her might and she bit her cheek, willing the smile away. She would pay good money to see that. Hell, she'd even cut off her thumb!

"Your stitches are messy," she commented, lips pulled into a thin line, eyeing the grim mess. The edges where the thread met pulled the skin taut; Vaas had sewn through the top lip, straight into the bottom. He looked like a pin cushion, with the several punctures in his skin, where she guessed he had poked by accident. A small gap in the middle which she assumed would allow the man to eat and drink. Vaas wanted him alive, after all.

"I don't think it fucking matters. It's not like he's going to see them."

Eli rose her brows in surprise, giving him an odd look. "Was that a joke?" She asked incredulously.

"Did you find it funny?"

"Maybe."

"Then maybe it was a joke." She shrugged.

"Are you almost done here?" Eli inquired with a hint of boredom. She tilted her neck left and right, giving a satisfying pop. They had not long ago arrived back from their recon, drenched in sweat and caked in mud with a swarm of bugs hovering over them like a living cloud. They were famished and dehydrated, eager to sink their teeth into something other than beef jerky and power bars. Lucas and Charlie had parted ways with Eli, desperate to wash themselves in the make-shift shower that was no more than a hose hanging from the wall, shut in by three sheets of tin and a door.

"I was going to give this fucker some new piercings, you know, replace the one's I took out," he said offhandedly, gesturing with a lazy flick of his wrist to the bloody mess lain across the table.

"Because he was being such a pussy and wouldn't sit still, it took longer than I thought." He told her, displeased that he had wasted the evening on such a pathetic sack of shit. He was hungry, thirsty and in desperate need of another high; the shakes were already beginning to set in, he could barely hold the needle steady any more.

"He looks a lot better, no?"

"I'm sure he'll be grateful for the wonderful work you've already done," she said sarcastically, a small twitch of a small on her pale lips. Eli slid off her perch on the worktop, stepping over the sanguine stains and to the door.

"Oh, hey," she called over her shoulder, fingers curling around the cold metal of the handle. "Put a padlock on his gauge. They hate that." A brow rose at her suggestion, a padlock? He liked the idea.

"Make sure it's a heavy one!" She said before stepping outside, shutting the door behind her. His eyes danced with devious amusement at her idea, a fire igniting within him, spreading across his body with a warm tingle. Wild eyes flickered to the victim on the table, Trevor, and he licked his lips excitedly.

"Don't worry, hermano, I'm not done with you yet. I'll make you pretty as a picture."

* * *

So, what did you think?! I had so much fun with this chapter (In a non sadistic way, I mean... cough) I really enjoyed writing an unhinged Vaas. :D He's so quirky!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be out in a few days! :D


	5. Chapter 5

******_Is it just me, or is FF being a little buggy lately_?**

**** Well, uh, I seemed to of had some sort of error with publishing chapter five, which was very frustration. My apologizes to those who couldn't read it. D: ****

**Re posted due to errors.**

* * *

Thank you to those who reviewed, favourited and put this story onto alert. You guys are so nice and without you, I don't think I would have kept this up! You're the inspiration and driving force that's keeping me going. Thank you. :)

Feeling a little down today, so I thought I would post this. I hope you'll enjoy the super early update! We get to see some interaction between Eli and Vaas. :)

A big thank you to JourneyIntoMadness for inspiring me and Black-fl0wer for her help. :)

On a side note: I watched Wreck it Ralph on friday and I loved it! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys animated films!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my OC's.

On with the show!

* * *

Eli sat in the quiet seclusion of her shanty, sitting on the hard floor with her back pressed against the wall, head tilted to the ceiling in thought. She stared at the bulb hanging from the ceiling, eyes glazed over with an unseen fog. The world around her grew dark, the sounds muted, colours saturated. The walls crumbled and cracked, shriveling up and peeling at the seems. The shadows grew, crawling through the ever growing splinters, slithering down the remains of the wall. She tilted her head to the side, staring with glassy eyes at a warped silhouette that slowly walked towards her. It smiled, teeth a brilliant white. She couldn't make out any distinctive features, a faceless being, with only white for eyes and teeth. The shadow reached out, fingers elongated with razor-sharp claws; a cold shiver ran up her spine when it touched her skin. Eli jumped with surprise when it suddenly vanished in a puff of white smoke, the tangible wisps danced around her body, curling around her fingers before disappearing into nothing.

An abrupt shout startled her and she bolted up from the ground, gazing all around the darkness with alarm.

"_Hey, Looney Tunes!" _A voice called, echoing from every direction, fading in and out of focus.

The strong beating of her heart seemed to shake the world around her, ripples and waves moving in pulsation with the strong thrum, a deafening sound pounding in her ears. Drawing in a quick breath, she clutched at her restricted chest, desperately trying to loosen the vice that tightened, squeezing the life out of her.

"_You just gonna sit there all day or you coming?" _Her gut wrenched at the sound of his voice, the soft, familiar tone made her heart shudder painfully with heavy grief.

"Sunny...?" Her voice cracked, almost unrecognizable to her own ears. Wide, green eyes gazed all around, searching the perpetual darkness that encompassed her.

The surroundings began to spin, light bursting from every direction. Eli swayed unevenly, loosing her balance, she stumbled, falling hard to the floor. Pain stabbed at her temples, creeping across her skull, a crushing weight clamped onto her head, squeezing it with an iron grip. Images flashed all around her in quick bursts, memories of her past. Gun shots echoed everywhere with a deafening volume; she curled into a tight ball, body trembling violently, sweat beading on her ghostly white skin.

_Sunny._

"_Looooney Tuuuuunes!"_

_Sunny._

With shaky arms, Eli pushed herself from the ground, sitting awkwardly on her haunches, looking into the darkness with tear stricken eyes.

_Sunny. Sunny. Sunny._

Something warm dripped onto her nose, rolling across her cheek and down her chin. She reached up, fingers brushing against her forehead. She glanced down at her hand, a crimson red coating her fingers. Eli panicked, wiping furiously at her head, but the blood wouldn't stop, it poured profusely from an unseen wound, cascading down her face.

"_What's the matter, Looney Tunes? I thought you were tougher than that!"_

"_You're so fucking pathetic."_

"_WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" _The voice steadily rose to an angry shout, a terrifying roar thundering in her ears, assaulting her brain with a thousand sharp needles, tearing into the tissue. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the images and voices away. Fingers clutched at her hair, pulling hard at the fistful of strands. She rocked back and forth, silently muttering beneath her breath.

_Go away. Go away. Go away._

"_Fuck you, Eli." _The voice seethed, enraged._ "Fuck. You!"_

Eli snapped her eyes open, staring around her small shanty with alarm. The world came to an abrupt halt and time stilled. The thrum of her heart echoed loudly in her ears, pounding against the walls, shaking the foundations violently. The air trickled thinly through her lungs, hitching in her throat; she clutched at her heaving chest, her heart beating frantically beneath her fingers, she sucked in a deep, steady breath to quell the strong pulsation.

_It wasn't real. It wasn't real._

_It wasn't real._

Eli stood from the unyielding floor onto unsteady legs. The room tipped unevenly, a spinning carousel that she desperately wanted to get off of. Carefully, she made her way across the shanty, swaying from side to side with each tentative step she took. Water slowly trickled from the rusted tap, gradually filling the sink. The water felt cool against her clammy skin, soothing the fire that raged inside of her. She dipped her hands further in, throwing the water onto her face, savoring the refreshing droplets.

"Get a grip." Eli ground out, her voice sounded deafeningly loud in the silence that encompassed the room and suddenly, she was hit by a wave of home sickness; she missed the other mercs, her familiar bed, the strict routine that Roy relentlessly drummed into their heads.

"Fuck!" Her palm collided with her forehead repeatedly, desperately trying to knock the emotions and thoughts from her mind, growing sick of feeling out of sorts, chaotic and dizzy. Frustrated, she began to pace the length of her shanty, boots thudding noisily against the floorboards, mind a flutter with a thousand thoughts at once. One struck her more than the others, a painful knife cutting into her flesh, a reminder of what she lost.

Sunny.

_God damn it! Stop thinking about him. _She told herself numerous times, mentally pushing Sunny to the dark recesses of her mind, lost amongst the cavernous tunnels she envisioned.

Eli stood in front of small, cracked piece of glass that once resembled a mirror, the edges rusted, covered in a thick layer of dust. She wiped away the grime, leaving a smear over the surface. Green eyes stared back at her with disdain, red rimmed and blood shot; dark shadows stark against her ghostly white complexion. She cringed at her reflection with disgust, a sense of self hatred began to pool in the pit of her stomach. She pushed the emotion away, locking it behind a bolted door. She squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose, she sucked in deep, even breathes, willing her muscles to relax.

_It was just a dream. Just a dream. _Her heavy lids slowly fluttered open. She gasped loudly, staring with shock at the mirror.

"Miss me?" A voice said suddenly and a hand shot out of the glass, snatching her neck in a tight grip; deathly cold fingers curled around her windpipe, shutting off the air. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to see me!"

Reality came flooding back with the force of a freight train, splitting her skull with an explosion of colours and sounds. The chair she had fallen asleep in fell to the floor with a clatter, the abrupt noise sounded louder than a gunshot, giving her a start.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She turned her head sharply to the side, Vaas laid casually on her bed, arms behind his head, tilted to the side, watching her curiously.

_Fuck fuck fuck._

"Ever heard of knocking?" She spat sharply with laboured breath, ignoring his comment. Truth was, she looked like shit. Her skin a ghostly white, slightly damp from sweat; eyes red rimmed and blood shot, wide, unfocused. She flexed her fingers, willing the shaking to go away, gripping the table to steady herself.

Vaas scoffed, turning his attention to the ceiling. "This is my fucking island, hermana. I go where I like and do whatever the fuck I like, okay? I don't need to knock in my own house."

"It's two in the morning," she told him after a quick glance at her wrist watch. "What do you want?"

"You wanted to fucking talk, didn't you?" He snapped with irritation.

"I meant at a reasonable hour!" Tired green eyes swept over to the pirate lord, narrowed and heavy with fatigue. Despite her nap, she felt exhausted as ever. Eli scrubbed a hand over her sweaty face, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. She moved towards the loudly humming fridge, pulling out a bottle of cool water, rolling the plastic along her clammy neck and cheeks.

"So who the fuck is Sunny?" Eli froze at the mention of his name and she turned sharply to Vaas, eyes wide, lips parted with surprise.

"You talk a lot of fucking shit in your sleep, you know." His eyes turned to her, watching curiously when a long pause followed. Eli stared back at him openly; her brows furrowed pensively in thought, she frowned.

"I don't think that's any of your business," she said sharply.

Vaas shrugged. "You were saying his name so much, I started to wonder if you were fucking him in your sleep."

Eli pivoted on her heel, back facing the pirate lord. She gripped the bottle in a vice, squeezing the plastic into a distorting shape. She reached up with her other hand, trembling with anger, placing it over her mouth and face, fingers digging into the skin. It made her sick with rage when he mentioned his name so offhandedly.

_Calm down. What is wrong with you?_

"How was your rumble in the jungle?" She heard him ask after silence had encompassed the room. She sucked in a deep breath, turning on her heel, striding over to the table and picking up the chair she had knocked over, seating herself down, bracing her elbows on her knees.

"Worthwhile. We know how many men are at the outpost, patrol times and what weapons they're packing. The rebels are using basic assault rifles, pistols and machetes. It should be easy to get in unseen and take them out under the cover of darkness. We also checked the tower, the integrity's strong." Her persona abruptly changed to the soldier Roy had spent years molding her into. Voice hard and strict, carrying an authoritative tone that commanded attention.

"I have a few ideas on how we can take back the radio towers and keep the rebels from re taking them."

Vaas turned to her, intrigued. "I want to fix some radio transmitters, block out the incoming and outgoing signals to the rebels, cut off their communication. It'll disrupt their movements and supplies, giving us the advantage."

"How do you plan to stop those fucking rebels from walking right up there and taking them off?"

"Ah, see, here's the fun part!" Vaas lifted a brow at the word 'fun'. "We _carefully _set up some C4 on the stairs, walkways and ladders, setting off controlled explosions, taking out any sort of safe route."

"I like it. I fucking like it," he exclaimed honestly, excited by the idea. He would have to tag along to watch the fire works.

"Oh, hey, have you got any old electronics laying around? Laptops, phones, radios, all that jazz?" She asked suddenly, a forgotten request from Lucas earlier that day.

"You're pretty fucking demanding for someone that's supposed to be doing shit for _me,_" he said with a tone of indifference. Volker had told Vaas he would in charge of his mercs, but in truth, it didn't feel that way at all. He would let them have their fun. _For now_.

Eli rolled her eyes. "I am working for _you, _Vaas. I'm just doing what I'm trained to do," she said with slight irritation. "Do you want to take your shit back from the rebels or not?"

"Say please," he mocked condescendingly, a grin on his tanned face. Oh, he enjoyed winding her up, almost too much. He wanted to laugh at the livid look she gave him and he wondered what dark thoughts she was thinking of him in that moment.

With a heavy sigh, she relented, throwing her gaze up to the ceiling, shoulders sagging with fatigue. "Vaas," she began, head lolling forward in a lazy manner. "_Please _can we have any electronic equipment you don't want? I would really, really _appreciate _it."

Vaas sniffed loudly, picking the grime from beneath his nails boredly. "I'll think about it."

_What an asshole._

Ignoring the pirate lords presence, she began to move around the room, sifting through her belongings in search of her trusty CampStove, eager to cook the noodles she had planned to earlier. The task gave her something to focus on, soothing her thoughts, bringing her into a Zen like state she usually portrayed. She left the water to boil, picking up her laptop and she flipping it open. The screen flickered to life, a log in screen popped up and she typed in the password, she entered a series of different codes, prompting several other screens to spring up, demanding the correct pass codes. Once she had successfully arrived at her desktop, she clicked on a small icon, starting up the media player.

Vaas glanced at the laptop, pausing for a moment to watch the cartoon playing on the screen, he then look to Eli, raising a brow.

"You like this shit?" He said, referring to the cartoons playing on the screen.

"Yes." Came the flat reply. "Got a problem with that?"

He shrugged. "I had you pegged for one of those chicks who liked those fucking dramas, you know?"

"I have enough drama cleaning up after Sparky and Doc." A pause followed, both of them fixated on the laptop, enjoying the cartoons.

Eli smiled, watching with amusement when Jerry had hit Tom on the head with an iron, causing the cat to slip, crashing into a cupboard of crockery. Without looking away, she poured the dried noodles into the water, allowing them to boil, the inciting smell wafted up her nose, prompting her stomach to growl eagerly.

"What is this?" Vaas eventually asked, eyes still glued to the screen.

"Looney Tunes. A popular cartoon in the west. At least, it used to be."

Another pause followed, both of them focused entirely on the animations playing before them. Eli glanced at Vaas from the corner of her eye, he was grinning, eyes glistening with mirth. When he suddenly laughed, she jolted with surprise, causing him to laugh even harder. Eli shot him a glare and turned away from the laptop, pulling a metal bowl and fork from her pack, setting it onto the table and pouring in the freshly boiled noodles. She sighed contently when the smell of artificial flavors wafted up her nose.

"Oh, hermana, you shouldn't have!" Vaas said, making quick strides across the room, snatching the bowl from her grasp. "I'm fucking starving." He scooped up the noodles with the fork, stuffing an awkward amount into his mouth, noodles dangling from his lips.

"Vaas!" Eli whined childishly, causing him to look up from the bowl, amused. "I was looking forward to that all day!" She sighed, hitting her head onto the table with a thud, muttering profanities under her breath.

"What are you gonna do, huh? Fucking cry?" He sneered, taking another bite of her noodles. "Run home to Volker?" He taunted.

"_Oh, Volker, big bad Vaas stole my fucking noodles!_" He mocked with a high pitched tone, an attempt to mimic Eli voice.

Eli sucked in a deep breath, holding it in, before slowing releasing. She envisioned herself reaching over the table, snatching the fork from his grasp, thrusting it into his eye, pulling it from the socket before crushing it beneath her boot.

"You're_ welcome," s_he spat tempestuously. Eli grit her teeth, fingers curling into a tight fist. She ignored the amused, probing stare of Vaas and stood, pushing her chair nosily away to fetch herself another packet of noodles.

It was almost dawn before Vaas finally left her shanty. The pirate lord had made himself quite a home, re taking his spot on her bed, watching Looney Tunes with much delight. He had beckoned her over on more than one occasion, telling her there was '_plenty of room_' beside him. Eli had declined, saying that she would rather pour acid into her eyes. Now she sat alone, a few brief moments to herself before before her comrades would be up and about, waking her to start their daily duties. She saw no point in sleeping at that moment, an hour wouldn't suffice; she often got cranky with short naps and it wasn't a feeling she felt safe harboring in the presence of pirates, lest she scalp them alive out of annoyance.

An hour later, a knock came. Lucas pushed the door open, bright eyed and bushy tailed. He stepped into the room, pausing when he saw Eli sitting on the floor, a piece of wood and a knife in her hands, shavings dusting her lap. Lucas sat himself down, watching her slowly chip away at the piece of timber. Whittling, one of her favourite things to do besides shooting. One that she took great pride in.

"I asked Vaas if we could gut any electronics he didn't need." she said with a bite in her voice. "Said he'd '_think about it_'" She scowled with annoyance. The pirate lord really got under her skin and she began to wonder how she would be able to focus with him around. She hoped he wouldn't join them on any of their field work, or else a bullet might accidentally stray.

"Whoa, calm down there, you're gonna hack a finger off!" Lucas commented with concern, watching her carve vigorously into the grain.

Eli slowed, eyes glancing down at her hands, frowning. The piece of lumber now ruined, too much had been carved away from it. She tossed it to the side with a heavy sigh and stood, brushing the shavings from her legs. Vaas wasn't even present and he was still irritating her beyond reason.

"Where's Doc?

"Oh, he's in our room, rustling up some explosives," he baby blues flickering to her green. "He's not an explosives expert like Jackson, but he knows his shit." Lucas inwardly cringed, regretting his words almost immediately. At the mention of his name, Eli visibly stiffened, casting him a glare.

"Explosives expert? Tch, he almost blew us away on the last mission due to his _expertise_."

Their private moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Lucas stood from his chair, making his way over and opening it. He squinted against the abrupt change in light, the inside of the shanty rather dull and gloomy, the intensity of the sun caused his eyes to water. A pirate stood in the doorway, a cardboard box in his hands.

"Lennox in there?" He asked gruffly, giving Lucas a glare. "Boss wanted me to drop these off." Lucas eyed the pirate warily, gingerly taking the box from his grasp, muttering a quiet thank you under his breath. He shut the door with his boot, making his way to the table and carefully setting the box down.

"What is it?" Eli asked curiously, joining him. Inside the box were an abundance of circuit boards, fuses, phones, plugs, wires, every techie's dream. Lucas beamed at the treasure trove and dove right in, pulling random items from the box, setting them on the table glee.

"Oh man, this is great! Vaas really came through!"

Eli scrunched her nose at the compliment towards the pirate lord. "Can you make us some toys out of that?"

"Hell yeah! I just need some time."

* * *

Charlie sat hunched over a table full of wires and tools, carefully calibrating each one with precision. He could hear the muffled voices of Eli and Lucas wafting through the paper thin walls; the words too distorted for him to listen properly. He rubbed the back of his sore neck, flexing it left and right in an attempt to ease up the attention pinching in his muscles. The medic stood from his seat, stretching his back and arms. He left the room, carefully moving across the walk way towards Eli's room. He stopped at the door, ears straining to listen. When he heard nothing but the sound of scratching and shuffling, he pushed the door open, cautiously stepping inside the room.

"Hey man," he greeted the techie, clapping him affectionately on the back.

"How's it going?"

Lucas glanced up from his work, offering a half-hearted smile. "Not too bad. You?"

"Almost done."

"Careful not to set them off in the room," he joked, cringing seconds later when Charlie gave him a frown. "Shit, sorry, dude. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't say shit like that around Lennox or Jackson, alright?" Too bad he had already had. Lucas nodded, lowering his eyes to hide the guilt. "Speaking of which, how is E?"

Lucas glanced at the medic and to the door where Eli had disappeared out of. "She's okay, I guess. Looks like shit. Guess she didn't get much sleep last night," he mused quietly. "I think Vaas is getting under her skin."

Charlie snorted. "That guy's an ass," he muttered quietly. All too aware of the thin walls and his close proximity.

"Ah, he's not too bad. I mean, he let me have all of these toys!"

"Vaas seems to be spending a lot of time with Eli," Charlie commented casually, poking around the box with disinterest.

"Wouldn't you?" His eyes flickered to Lucas curiously.

"What do you mean?"

Lucas snorted. "Uh, hello? She's got tits! It's a total sausage fest around here. I'd spend my time with her too. You know, if she wouldn't decapitate me."

"You mean Roy, right?" Charlie grinned. "That man would rip your balls off if he caught any of us fraternizing within the ranks."

"I dunno man, Eli is pro with a knife and besides, Roy isn't here."

"Good point."

"Dude, don't worry. Eli's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Lucas mused.

_I hope._

* * *

There you have it! Vaas and Eli had a little quality time! I'd like to think the pirate lord is _somewhat_ relaxed (in his own little way) when he's alone. Obviously not one to sit down with a cup of tea and a book though. And he's still an ass. Tormenting Eli seems to be quickly becoming one of his favorite pass times. ;D

What did you think? :) We'll be having some action in the upcoming chapters! I hope you'll enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed writing them, hehe.

Please review. I do love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm open to constructive criticism and suggestions. Feel free to PM me as well! =)

Next chapter will be out in a few days, once I've finished writing up chapter eight. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to those who took the time to review! Your words are very encouraging to me and brighten up my day. (: I hope you will continue to review, as I do love hearing from you guys! It's always nice to chat too. =)

A big thank you to Black-fl0wer for looking over my work! You are awesome! (She drew an awesome picture of Eli for me! You can see it on my profile!) :D

Updates will be slowing down to once a week now, sorry. I am having a bit of difficulty in real life and it's sapping my energy and willpower to write and publish more than one chapter, sorry! I do have chapter nine in the works though, so fear not! I will try my hardest to stay on the ball.

_Oh and happy belated valentines day! :) _

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except my OCs.

**Warning: This chapter contains swearing and scenes of a violent nature. **

With that out of the way, let's get on with the show!

* * *

Shafts of the afternoon sun filtered through the metal grate and bars of the window, stretching a warm hand across the still shanty, glaring in Vaas's eyes, stirring the pirate lord from his rare, peaceful slumber. Vaas groaned, brows furrowing with annoyance, he placed an arm over his face to shield is eyes from the glare. He turned on his side in an attempt to fall back into the undisturbed sleep he held only moments ago. He tossed and turned with frustration; sweat began to bead on his creased brow, the room became unbearably hot, forcing him to sit up in bed. Vaas scrubbed a hand over his face, brushing away the perspiration and fatigue.

The pirate lord sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, squeezing his dry eyes repeatedly. He scowled when the sound of muffled voices and footsteps wafted through the wall; the noise grated on his ears, the low mumbling got under his skin, rattling his teeth. Vaas reached towards his bedside table, snatching a packet of crumpled cigarettes. Popping one in his mouth, he flicked the lighter, igniting the end in a fiery red. Vaas took in a deep drag, holding it in before breathing out a thick plume of smoke. The pirate lord sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, his mind drifting to a far away plain. He sat there for a long time, consumed in the dark reaches of his mind.

Eventually, he got up and left his shanty, hissing when the intense glare of the sun hit him with a force, causing him to squint his blood shoot eyes. Vaas scowled, shooting anyone who passed a dark glare, an unseen force pushed any passer-by out of his way, forging a clear path, built with the pillars of his steady rising anger. Vaas slowed to a halt, his tired eyes flickered to a small hammock swinging lazily between two trees. He rose a brow, a smirk of amusement tugging at his lips. The pirate lord sauntered over and leaned against the tree casually, eyeing the occupant with mischief.

"What do you want?" An exasperated sigh followed. Eli inwardly groaned, covering her face with an arm to block out his face and the unrelenting sun.

"You look like shit," he commented, picking at his nails. Eli scoffed.

"Oh, gee, I wonder why? Perhaps it was because _someone_ wouldn't leave my fucking room last night until dawn?" She spat wryly, scowling beneath her arm.

Vaas shrugged. "I thought you would appreciate my company, hermana."

"No more than a shark gnawing on my leg."

"That can be arranged," he grinned dangerously, eyes flashing with wicked glee. Eli flipped him off, face scrunching up with disdain. She threw her legs over the side of the hammock and stretched, no longer in the mood to lounge in the sun, especially with the pirate lord lingering around like a bad fucking smell.

"Go away."

"No." She stared at him, unsure of how to reply to his flat out refusal. Instead, she settled for giving him a dark glare, only to become even more irritated when he flashed her a wicked grin.

"Why do you purposely annoy me?" She asked with a heavy sigh, running a hand over her face. She was not in the mood to deal with him when she was running on an empty tank.

Vaas laughed. "Because you make it so much fucking fun."

"I hate you."

"Don't worry, hermana, I'll grow on you."

"Like a terminal disease." She scrunched up her face at the thought, imagining Vaas to be no more than cancerous tumour growing on her skin, oozing puss and other vile fluids that would otherwise be the words flowing from his mouth.

"Fucking exactly, I'm glad you understand," he grinned, thoroughly entertained with the ever changing emotions passing over her features; something she did often when deep in thought. What dark ideas did she imagine inflicting onto him, he wondered.

"Do you plan to pester me all day?" Vaas shrugged.

"We could just cut the bullshit and head back to my shanty and fuck, you know?"

"The romantic type, huh?" She drawled with sarcasm, a mask of stone falling over her face.

"I bet you like it rough and hard, don't you?"

"What I like is of no concern to you."

"You say that now, hermana, but in a few weeks I'll have you bent over my table, screaming for more." The pirate lord smirked wickedly, giving her a wink.

"You certainly know how to paint a pretty picture," she sighed heavily. "However _tempting_ of an offer that is, I'll have to decline."

"Suit yourself."

"Hey, Vaas!" A voice called from across the camp, catching their attention. The pirate lord frowned at the intrusion, turning on his heel, eyes blazing with fire, jaw set into a grim line.

"What the fuck do you want?" The pirate swallowed nervously, glancing everywhere but at Vaas.

"We've got the cargo loaded for _P.C_."

"What the fuck are you bothering me for then? Fuck off! I'll meet you shit heads at the truck!" Vaas bellowed loudly, dismissing the man with a flick of his wrist. He turned back to Eli, rolling his eyes; muttering something about the pirates being incapable and retarded.

"I'm sorry about the interruption, hermana. We'll have to continue our flirting later, okay?"

"I can't wait." Came the wry reply.

"Good," he said with a grin. Vaas began to walk away, only to pause, turning sharply on his heel so he was walking backwards.

"Well? Are you fucking coming or what?"

"Huh?" She asked dumbly.

"You want to have some fun, right? So get off your ass and let's move!" She stared incredulously at him for a few moments before her brain kick started.

"I don't have any of my gear!" Eli shouted back to his retreating form.

"Hurry the fuck up and get it then!" He called back, excitement audible in his tone. He was all too eager to get out of the camp and partake in one of his favorite pass times: making movies.

Eli took quick strides to her shanty, Lucas and Charlie no where to be seen, much to her relief. She discreetly closed the door behind her and stood still in the silence, straining her ears to listen for any approaching footsteps. After a few seconds, she exhaled the breath she had been holding and moved over to her bags; kneeling in front of one, she began to dig through the small, wooden ornaments. Eli pulled on a discreet tab, revealing a secret pouch in the side of the bag, stocked with plastic bags, several different shape and coloured pills inside. With one quick glance over her shoulder, she pulled one of the bags out, depositing two small pills into her palm before quickly throwing her head back, swallowing the drugs. Eli sighed with relief, placing the bag back where she had left it last.

Eli wasted no time in gathering her guns and knives, strapping her machete onto her back and grabbing her assault rifle; she slipped on a pair of reflective aviator glasses and a camo cap. Once she was locked and loaded, Eli left her shanty and made over to her comrades.

"Oh, hey, E," Lucas greeted. An array of electronic guts strewn across the table in front of him "What's up?" Charlie acknowledged her with a polite nod of his head, his blue eyes fixated on the out dated television in front of the worn, floral print arm chair he sat in.

"Vaas is heading out to a place called '_P.C'_, he wants me to go with him." At the mention of the pirate lords name, the two men exchanged smug looks, which Eli missed.

"That's _Pirate Cove. _The mercs at the base say that's where the pirates record the ransom videos and store some of Volker's drugs in the cove," Lucas informed her distractedly as he hunched over the table, tinkering with a mess of wires.

"If you're not too _busy, _you're welcome to tag along."

"I'll join you," Charlie piped up, getting to his feet; the medic stretched, heading towards the weapons locker to gather his gear.

Eli turned on her heel and headed down the incline towards the main entrance where a convoy waited on the road. Three vehicles with mounted guns and a large, armored truck in the middle. She peered behind the green tarp flap; a number of slaves were cramped inside, bound with heavy rope and chains, burlap sacks covering their faces. There was barely any room to breathe.

"C'mon, hermana, you're riding with me," Vaas told her, making his way to a _Technical _waiting nearby. Vaas slid into the passengers seat and Eli climbed in the back, slinging her weapon pack onto the floor; the pirates already sitting in the bed of the truck gave her a glare, which she promptly returned. Charlie joined her a few moments later, taking the free seat beside her.

The _Technical _sputtered to life and moved quickly down the road, flying over the bumps and turning hard corners. The jungle scenery passed by in a mixture of colours. Tall palms trees, large, imposing boulders and rolling hills with jagged rock faces and sheer drops. Dust from the parched road curled up in a thick cloud, casting a heavy fog of sand in their wake. Eli watched the road with eyes akin to a hawk, flickering from the dense jungle, back to the open space.

The unrelenting sun beat down upon them with a force; waves of heat shimmered in the distance, a distorted mirage of ripples dancing tantalizingly, warping the backdrop. The drugs had long since kicked in, sharpening her mind and honing her focus to it's full potential. She found herself unable to relax, her muscles tense, bones rigid. Eli brushed the sweat from her brow with a sigh, the temperature began to get on her nerves; she could feel herself steadily becoming more and more agitated.

"How are you holding up back there, amigos?" Vaas called over the rush of wind. He turned in his seat, arm draped over the back of the headrest. Eli tilted her head towards him; his reflection stared back at him through her glasses.

When Eli gave no reply, Charlie chimed in. "Don't mind her, she's always grouchy when she's in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time." At his words, she reached over, hitting the medic on the arm. Charlie chuckled.

"It's true!" He grinned mischievously. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're a vampire. You never seem to bloody tan, despite living on a tropical island."

"Piss off."

The rest of the journey continued on in silence, only the occasional squeak and rattle of the vehicles broke the quiet. The road came to an abrupt end just before a watch tower; a road block cutting off their path. The pirate stationed in the tower nodded his head in acknowledgment and announced their arrival.

"Okay motherfuckers, unload the cargo!" Vaas instructed, sliding out of the passenger seat. The pirates did as they were told, throwing the slaves none too gently out of the truck and dragging them down the slope.

Eli stood at the top of a hill, eyes sweeping below her curiously. Stacks of drugs were in abundance around the camp, carefully piled onto pallets ready for processing. Large shipping containers were stocked with boxes and crates, some empty, others full. Shanty's sat on the water front and several watch towers on the crest of the hills, giving them a birds eye view of the surrounding area. Boats and jet ski's patrolled up and down the water just outside of the lagoon, mounted with guns and several men.

"Fucking nice, right?" Vaas suddenly appeared beside her, hands on his hips as he took in the sights. From their high vantage point, they could see for miles.

"It's certainly something," she commented, referring more to the scenery than the base.

"C'mon, I don't want to keep our honored guests waiting," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and guiding her down the incline. She moved stiffly beside him, hyper aware of his body rubbing up against hers; the masculine scent of his sweat and natural musk really hit her, Eli forced herself not to breathe it in, for a part of her, the really fucked up, insane part, found it strangely seductive. She felt disgusted with herself, a self loathing beginning to stir; she frowned deeply at the thought.

"You like movies, right?" Vaas asked casually as he lead her. Eli nodded. "Don't say I never fucking treat you, okay? You can thank me later." He grinned devilishly.

"What are you up to?" She asked skeptically, casting him a sideways glance.

"We're gonna make some fucking movies today!" He said excitedly.

Darkness encompassed them as they stepped inside the mouth of an ominous cave; heavy metal bars greeted them further in, enclosed over the path. Vaas nodded to the pirate standing guard and he quickly undid the lock, opening the gate with an eerie creak. Inside were a dozen more pirates, cutting drugs, counting money and tormenting slaves cramped in the small, metal cages. It was dark inside, lit only by a few generators that hummed loudly in the cavernous space, echoing through the network of tunnels.

Eli lifted her sun glasses as she skirted around the stacks of drugs, warily eyeing the pirates whom regarded her with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. When Vaas pulled her closer, they quickly looked away, eyes cast to the floor in submission. She mentally cringed at his close proximity, inwardly burning with embarrassment at the the thoughts she imagined passing through the pirates mind. Then again, they didn't look the type to think of anything other than themselves.

Charlie leaned against the jagged wall, nodding politely when Eli came into view. He rose a brow when he saw Vaas attached to her; she shot him a look of warning and he quickly backed down, holding his hands up in defeat.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" Vaas announced loudly. He released Eli from his grasp and moved to the center of the room, giving him a good view of the overcrowded cages around him.

"Today we're going to make a movie, so I expect you all to fucking co operate, okay?" He swept his predatory gaze over each of the prisoners; the sacks removed from their heads, giving them a chance to see their foreboding surroundings. Blood spattered along the floor and walls with wicked tools of torture in the backdrop. To the side, a table sat with a camera and projector, pointing at a wall covered in white sheets.

"In case you fucks get any ideas about leaving, I'm going to show you what will happen if you decide to piss on my fucking parade." A wolfish grin spread across his face; he looked much more menacing in the dim light, giving his eyes a demonic glow. Vaas whistled sharply, causing the trembling captives to jump with fright.

"Bring in the star of the show!" Shuffling footsteps approached, two men dragged a man into the room, arms and legs bound, head flopping against his chest.

"Hey, hermano, wake up!" The pirate lord slapped him hard across the face, bringing the unconscious man back to reality. As he slowly lifted his head, the heavy padlocks hanging from his ears swung lazily from the movement. A chorus of gasps and cries of horror broke out among the prisoners; dried blood stuck to his sweaty, pale skin, coagulating in a sticky mess. The once white bandages around his hands tinged pink from the wounds, clinging awkwardly to the skin that was quickly becoming infected. The sight of the thick, black stitches sealing his eyes and mouth shut reminded Charlie of a prop dummy from a cheap, knock off horror film.

"This is Trevor. Say hello, Trevor." Vaas looked expectantly to the man, only to pause, and break into a fit of laughter. "Oh, oh that's right! I sewed your fucking mouth shut, haha!" Once he had settled down and regained control of his breathing, Vaas continued.

"If my friend here could talk, he would tell you all about the fucking wonderful work I did to his face and I'm sure he would recommend it to all of you shit heads." His tone calm, a deceivingly friendly smile upon his face. Then his demeanor abruptly changed with the flick of a switch; his muscles snapped taut, the whites of his eyes seemed to grow.

"If you don't like my workmanship and would rather keep your pretty fucking faces, you'll do as I say, comprende? I don't want any bullshit dramatics from any of you or I'll cut your fucking tongues out!" His voice steadily rose to an angry shout, wide eyes staring with a fury at his prey. They shrunk back into the unyielding bars, shying away from his razor sharp gaze.

Vaas took in a deep breath to calm himself. Now was not the time to lose control, that would be later. He ran a hand through his Mohawk; his body shaking lightly from adrenalin.

"Since Trevor is our guest of honour, he'll go first." Vaas gestured to a nearby pirate, ordering him to be taken to the _filming booth _for his fifteen minutes of fame. Trevor was thrown onto the chair, arms and legs tightly bound by leather straps. The pirate lord made sure the other prisoners had a good vantage point from their cages. He wouldn't want them to miss the show, after all. Especially when he had such an exciting finale for Trevor.

"Hermana," he called, snapping Eli out of her trance. "Take the camera and work your magic."

Eli strode across the cave, snatching the small digital camera from the table and moving into the _filming booth _in front of Trevor and Vaas. The pirate lord gave her simple instructors: No faces other than the victims, no speaking and try to zoom in when they cried like a fucking pussy. Easy.

Vaas stood behind the chair, hands firmly planted on Trevor's shoulders. Eli zoomed in on Trevor, capturing the hopelessness and despair apparent on his gaunt, pale face.

"Hello motherfuckers!" Vaas greeted the camera, although the viewer couldn't see, the pirate lord was grinning eagerly from ear to ear.

"Today we have a very special treat for you. See this pussy here? This is Trevor." Vaas grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking back his head to give the camera a good view.

"See, Trevor here has no family or friends willing to pay for him, which is kind of sad, no? Anyway, because of this, I had to make an example out of poor Trevor here." Vaas roughly turned his head from side to side, displaying the grim workmanship.

"Pretty fucking cool, right?" Trevor's head flopped forward when he suddenly let go, his chin falling against his chest; Trevor made no movement or sound and it began to grate on Vaas's nerves. How were his beloved viewers supposed to know if this useless piece of shit was even alive if he didn't fucking move? Vaas moved away from Trevor and over to the table teeming with his favorite tools of torture. He picked up a hammer, testing the weight in his hands.

"Wakey wakey!" The pirate lord swiftly brought the hammer down onto Trevor's hand, his bones snapped with a sickening sound; Trevor's threw his head back with a strangled gasp, muffled by his sealed lips, he cried out in agony through short pants of breath, desperately trying to pull away his now shattered hand. A dark shade of purple began to spread across the indentation where the hammer had hit, the blood vessels torn and crushed from the blunt force trauma, swelling and bleeding.

"Oh, it's so nice of you to join us, hermano!" Vaas hissed darkly, moving around to the other side. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's fucking rude to ignore someone?!" Trevor groaned in pain when the hammer came down on his other hand, breaking it in a similar fashion. Tears leaked from between his stitches, he trembled violently, rattling the chair noisily.

"You fucks better be paying attention! If you don't play ball, you'll be getting the same shit!" The prisoners watched on with horror, their faces stricken with fear, pale and shaking, sweat beading on their brows. Some watched, others buried their faces in their bound hands desperately willing their minds to a far away place to drown out the macabre sights and sounds.

"Listen up, motherfuckers," Eli turned the camera away from the sick mess of his hands, focusing back onto Trevor's face.

"If you don't pay up, your little loved ones are going to end up like this piece of shit. You wouldn't want that, would you? Huh? So you better fucking pay, or you'll never see their pretty little faces again, understand?" He taunted. "Now then, as a special treat, Trevor is going to show you all a once in a life time performance!" Vaas moved back to the table, placing the bloodied hammer back where he had found it. He picked up a pistol, running a finger over the cool metal; he cocked it loudly, pulling back the hammer.

"Lights please!" He shouted with delight, pressing the pistol into the back of Trevor's head.

"Now you see him," a wicked smile crept onto his face and Vaas turned his gaze to Eli, his wild eyes locked onto her green; his smile grew even more at the lack of emotion visible on her stony face.

_**Bang.**_

The deafening noise of the gunshot echoed like thunder in the cave, causing all ears within reach to ring with the sound of a thousand bells. Blood spattered up onto his face and arms, a spray of red flecked along the floors and wall, a fresh coat to replace the old. Vaas looked away from her, taking in the sick sight of death with glee.

"Now you don't," he whispered with cold impassiveness. Smoke wafted up from the gaping hole in the back of Trevor's head, the smell of burning flesh caught her nose and she cringed, the familiar odor always had a tendency to linger, something she wasn't overly fond of.

Vaas tutted. "Even in death, you still make such a fucking mess, Trevor," he sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Get rid of this piece of shit," Vaas commanded his pirate henchman as he used his red shirt to wipe away the blood from his face and neck, giving Eli a good flash of the toned muscles on his stomach.

"Next please!"

This carried on for the next few hours, pausing only to allow everyone but the prisoners to eat, drink, piss and smoke before pressing on. Vaas would pick a prisoner from the cage, put them under the spotlight, taunting and teasing them with grim promises of torture. They all recited the same spiel over and over again. '_I miss you' 'Please pay them' 'I want to go home'. _Eli inwardly grunted at the last one, knowing full well they wouldn't. Even if their beloved families paid the pirates, they would never see hide nor hair of them again.

Eli had quickly grown bored of playing the part of a cameraman. She wanted to stretch her arms and legs, breath in air that wasn't stagnant and dusty with the strong scent of blood mixing with the two. She became agitated when the prisoner refused to co operate, she was dangerously close to putting a bullet in their knee cap to speed things along. Small, dark caves weren't among favorite places to be and she began to feel claustrophobic.

"That's the last of 'em, boss," one the pirates informed Vaas. Relief washed over her and she felt a weight lifting from her sagging shoulders. Eli all but threw the camera onto the table, eager to step outside.

Vaas sighed tiredly. "Thank fuck for that. I was this fucking close to blowing someones brains out from boredom," he mused, scrubbing a hand over his face to brush away the fatigue biting at his senses.

Charlie pushed away from the wall, stretching his arms above his head. He had remained at Eli's side, distrusting of the pirates to leave her entirely alone in such a large company.

"Can we go now?" Eli asked tiredly, flexing her neck to rid herself of the crick that pinched the muscles.

Vaas grunted. "I'll meet you two outside." Without another word, the two mercs left the pirate lord alone, desperate to breathe in the crisp, evening air that awaited them.

"How long were we in there for?" Charlie asked once they stepped outside. The sky had already turned dark, the stars sparkling like a thousand brilliant diamonds in the sky, crowned by the full moon.

"I dunno, a few hours, I guess," she said with uncertainty, unsure of what time they had even left the camp. "At least it's not as hot." The two mercs began to wander around the camp, peeking discreetly into the shantys. Charlie had spotted a few beverages sitting idly on a table and he wasted no time in taking them for his own, concealing the drinks within his pocket.

"Here," he said, tossing the bottle towards Eli. The bottles were still sealed, much to their delight.

"What is it?" Eli asked after a quick sip. Her face scrunched up with disgust, the bitter, tangy liquid fizzed on her tongue, sliding down her throat with a tingle. Charlie shrugged.

"No idea. I don't speak whatever bloody language this is," he replied, gesturing the the peculiar letters scrawled on the label.

"Change of plans, amigos," Vaas announced upon his arrival. "We're staying here for the night. I've got some unfinished business in the morning." The two mercs exchanged concerned looks.

"We're staying the night?"

"Is there a fucking echo here? That's what I said." Eli groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead with frustration.

"Where are we sleeping then?"

"This place is overcrowded like a fucking migrant camp, so you shit heads get to bunk with me." Vaas smirked when the colour drained from their faces. He grinned, taking great delight in the apprehension visible on the female mercs face. This was going to be interesting.

Great.

* * *

Sooooo... what did you think? :D Things will be heating up in the next chapter, yay! I hope you'll enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed writing it!

Please review! I'd love to know your thoughts/suggestions! Or PM me! I'm always up for bouncing ideas back and forth.

**OH, BEFORE YOU GO! PLEASE VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE IN REGARDS TO THIS FANFIC! I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT! **


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you so much to those who reviewed and favorited! I love you guys! :) Posted this one a little early, since I finished chapter ten and I've just started number eleven! Yay!

A big thank you to Black-fl0wer for helping me out! I don't know what I would do without you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

**Warning: This chapter contains swearing and scenes of a violent nature. **

With that said, enjoy the show!

* * *

A gentle breeze blew across the calm waters of the lagoon; the celestial being that hung in the sky bathed the cove in its haunting glow. Eli stood on the far docks, hypnotized by the soft ripples and playful shimmers of the water lapping against the shores. Charlie had left her side, choosing to meander around the camp, poking his nose into every nook and cranny to quell his boredom.

Green eyes stared down at the small object in her hand, given to her by the medic only moments before he had left. She turned it over, fingers running over the cool edges and face, tracing the small engravings. Eli dangled in it front of her face, gently swinging from side to side; catching a faint glimpse of the moonlight. Such a small, useless object stirred something inside of her. Something she had fought desperately to keep at bay, locked behind her mental doors and fortified walls to never be looked upon again. Yet, here she was, inwardly battling to keep the swell of emotions down.

Lost deep within her thoughts, she failed to hear the loud footsteps crossing the wooden planks, stopping just behind her. A hand reached down, swiping the item from her hand. Eli jolted from her daydream, head tilting back; she frowned, Vaas stood over her, a curious look on his face.

"Dog tags?" He mused quietly, turning them over in his callous hand. "S. Temsford," he quirked a brow, intrigued.

"Aw, was Sunny your fucking boyfriend, hm?" Vaas abruptly pulled the necklace out of her reach when she got to her feed and tried to snatch it.

"No," she spat heatedly. "Now give it back!" Eli growled with frustration when he kept holding it just beyond her reach, dangling it tauntingly above her head. Of course the pirate lord had to be taller than her. _Of course _he had to be an irritating bastard.

"C'mon, hermana, jump! Jump like a good little dog," he mocked condescendingly with a grin. Teeth grinding together, shoulders shaking with fury, Eli grabbed the front of Vaas's vest, roughly pulling the amused man forward until their noses touched.

"Give. It. Back!" She seethed through gritted teeth, eyes a poisonous green.

"Oh, feisty tonight are we?" He teased with a grin, teeth flashing beneath the moonlight. His hot breath poured over her face, eyes sparkling with mischief. Eli took a step back, face scrunched up with annoyance; she made to turn on her heel and leave, fed up with his antics, but Vaas grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him.

"I don't fucking like it when people turn away from me when I'm speaking," he hissed darkly, the pressure steadily rising to an uncomfortable vice on her arm.

"And I don't like it when people touch me!" She ground out, shooting back a reflection of his own glare. The two stared daggers at one another, neither willing to back down. It was only when the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention, did they look away, casting their dirty looks upon the intruder, Charlie.

"Am I interrupting?" The medic inquired curiously, carrying two bowls of steaming food. Vaas gave a low growl, releasing Eli from his grasp, he stepped away, a wolfish grin on his face.

"We'll continue our flirting later, hermana," Vaas told her in a deep, husky tone that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He took her hand in his, dropping the tags into her palm, Vaas closed her fingers around the object, grinning. He turned on his heel, knocking into Charlie's shoulder as he passed, disappearing into the camp.

"What was that about?" The medic glanced over his shoulder, brows furrowed in thought.

"Just being an ass, as usual," she grunted indignantly, stuffing the necklace into her pocket. "Oh, hey, is that food?" Eli visibly perked up at the sight of the bowls in her team mates grasp. The intoxicating smell wafted up her nose, making her mouth water with desire. Charlie grinned.

"Here," he sat down on the dock, placing the bowl in front of her. Eli eagerly joined him, staring at the food with wonder.

"Who knew pirates could cook!" Boiled rice with fried chicken and a mixture of herbs and spices. Simple, yet far better than anything they had eaten in the last few days. The medic pulled two sets of plastic knives and forks from his back pocket, handing one to Eli before the pair began to dig in; they forced themselves to eat slowly, to enjoy the flavours, for they surely wouldn't be tasting anything even half as decent for a while. Once they had finished with their meal, they sat in comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Charlie glanced at Eli from the corner of his eye, watching the woman toy with her knife, running her fingers over the dull edge.

"Did you contact Lucas?" She asked suddenly, glancing away from her own reflection in the knife and to the medic.

"Yeah, he was a little pissed, kept whining about how _bored _he was going to be and how _unfair _it was," he informed her with a roll of his eyes. Eli snorted derisively.

"Hey, if he wants to drive out here and take my place, by all means!" Charlie nodded in agreement. The pair hadn't been happy with the decision to stay, but they had no say in the matter. They took orders from Vaas and that was _that_.

"Do you think Vaas snores?" Charlie asked offhandedly when a silence descended upon them. Eli turned to the medic, eyes narrowed with confusion. What kind of random question what that?

"How should I know?" She said incredulously. He shrugged.

"You seem to spend the most amount of time with him," he commented, a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. "You know, I'm beginning to think this whole thing is a charade. He just wants to share a room with you."

"Ohhhh, please shut up!" Eli whined childishly, flopping back hard against the deck, head knocking onto the wood; she put her hands over her face in an attempt to block the world out. Why was everything in her life so fucking awkward? Why couldn't she have been the one to stay back at the base and take care of the missions they had been previously assigned? Teddy, that lucky son of a bitch. Oh, how envious she was of the man. Eli gave a loud groan, hitting her forehead with the heel of her palm repeatedly.

"Calm down, Looney Tunes, you might short circuit your brain," the medic mocked with a grin, watching her writhe around like a fish. She muttered madly under her breath, a string of profanities mixed with the names of various prophets.

"I hate my life," she said with a heavy sigh. "Just shoot me now, so I don't have to suffer anymore." Charlie chuckled.

"You're not getting out of it that easy! I don't want to be left alone with that man." Eli scoffed, rolling her eyes at his words. The medic was lucky, Vaas didn't hang around him like a bad smell, staring at his tits and ass even when she could blatantly see him.

The medic got to his feet, dusting himself off, he gently nudged Eli's side with his boot. "C'mon. If we're lucky, we'll be asleep before he arrives."

* * *

Vaas stared at his twisted reflection in the mirror, only it wasn't him staring back. It was a demonic shade, grinning wickedly with razor sharp fangs, hissing satanic words; goading him.

"_Kill those fucking dogs," _The satanic voice whispered relentlessly, bombarding his brain with dark images of torture and death, grim ideas on how to inflict pain upon the mercenaries.

Vaas braced his arms against the wall, glaring up at the demon from beneath his brows. He reminded himself that he couldn't torture the mercs, Volker had told him so. It was _forbidden. _And that made it all the more tempting for the pirate lord. He hung his head, sighing with exasperation. They wouldn't be here forever, he told himself. He only had to tolerate them until they did their job and left. Or died trying. His mouth twitched with a smirk at the thought.

Then again, he was beginning to develop some sort of sick fascination for the female merc, Eli, that skirted dangerously along the line of obsession. Vaas found her intriguing, amusing. He wanted to crack open her skull and poke around that curious brain of hers to find out what makes her tick; what secrets she held and how far he could push her before she cracked. The pirate lord grinned devilishly. He would not need to split open her head to find out, oh no, she would tell him her secrets willing, with a little _gentle _persuasion_._

The pirate lord glanced away from the mirror, eyes flickering over to the sleeping form of Eli, who was muttering in her sleep, entangling herself within the sheets as she writhed around; sweat beading on her ghostly white skin. He took a tentative step forward, ears straining to listen to her mad ramblings.

"Sunny!" she whispered desperately, brows knitting together with visible frustration.

Vaas frowned, who the fuck was Sunny and why did she obsess over him so much? She had looked ready to snap his neck when he'd snatched those dog tags from her grasp and questioned her about them. Perhaps he could use it against her in due time.

The pirate lord sighed, no longer in the mood to rest, he left the shanty, shutting the door quietly, making his way across the camp. He approached a group of pirates sitting around a camp fire, chatting idly to one another. The chatter abruptly stopped once the pirate lord came into view.

"Fuck off!" He spat fiercely, the fire cast ominous shadows across his face, accentuating the wickedness emanating from him. The pirates abandoned their drinks and food, scattering like cockroaches, disappearing from his sight. Vaas flopped down ungraciously onto the lawn chair in front of the fire, watching the flames move in a tantalizing dance before him, enrapturing his mind in a blissful haze. Vaas turned away from the mesmerizing show and to his fingers, staring at the three white bandages wrapped around them. Turning over his hand, he began to peel the tape away, revealing scabby, pale skin the sun never touched. He picked at the partially healed tissue, pulling away the thin layer of flesh until it began to bleed. Once he had made the skin raw and irritated, he moved onto his other finger, repeating the same action twice more; when he had finished, Vaas wound the tape back around his digits, satisfied that the itch he felt in the back of his mind had receded.

The pirate lord pulled a packet of cigarettes from his back pocket, popping one in his mouth, he lit the end, sighing with satisfaction when the taste of nicotine touched his tongue, filling his lungs with the toxic smoke. A rare, peaceful moment for Vaas. One that was abruptly shattered by the sound of a gunshot tearing through the night. He quickly stood, pushing the chair to the floor in his haste, discarding his cigarette, he pulled the pistol from his holster, skirting around a shanty, eyes darting around in alarm, searching the dark corners of the camp.

Vaas instinctively ducked when another shot rang out, followed by the loud, frantic shouting of the pirates around the camp. The familiar red shirts began to pour out of the shantys, ducking behind crates and shipping containers, opening fire. The pirate lord peered around the building, frowning when he caught a glimpse of several rebel fucks pouring out of the back of a truck, hiding behind the trees and in one of the guard towers they had taken.

The loud groan of metal caught his attention, Vaas turned to the side, watching the mercs running out of the shanty and across the camp; they dropped to the ground, crawling on their stomachs until they reached cover, disappearing inside. Charlie popped up in the window, opening rapid fire onto the rebels up on the hill, interrupting their assault. Eli took the opportunity to break cover, sprinting across the docks, she slid across the ground and behind a container.

"Fuck!" A pirate yelled with distress. An explosion soon followed, ripping through the camp with a swirl of fire and smoke billowing up into the air.

Vaas spotted Charlie waving his arm in an attempt to gain the pirate lord's attention. He watched, perplexed at the series of hand gestures and the wide, lip movements the merc gave him. He understood, giving the medic a nod. Vaas swore under his breath, he pushed himself away from the wall and broke into a run, weaving between the crates and stacks of drugs, diving behind the shanty for shelter.

"Glad to see you made it in one piece!" Charlie greeted, flashing the pirate lord a grin; he peeked around the window frame, ducking when a bullet whizzed by his head, embedding into the door frame behind him.

"How many of those fuckers are there?" Vaas asked with a quick hiss, wiping the away the perspiration beading on his forehead. Charlie pocked his head up, blue eyes darting across the hill. He pulled back just in time to avoid a bullet in his brain.

"I count at least twelve,"

_Bang._

"Make that eleven," he smirked knowingly. Another loud gun shot rang out, echoing like thunder through the cove.

"Ten!" Charlie shuffled around the shanty, sticking his head around the doorway he looked up to a tower of the far side of the camp, the moon catching on the barrel of a sniper rifle.

"Looney Tunes," he said, gesturing with a nod of his head. "She's pretty good with a sniper rifle." Vaas nodded, flashing a glance up at the tower before turning back to the gunfight ensuing just outside the window.

The pirate lord grit his teeth, enraged at the rebels audacity to attack _him _at Pirate Cove. Oh, those bastards were going to pay. Big time. He would make sure that even after death, the rebels would suffer painfully. A deranged grin spread across his face when he caught sight of the weapons stacked inside the shanty. Charlie had purposely chosen this particular place for cover, having discovered the wealth of guns when he had been poking his nose around earlier that evening.

"I'd step back if I were you, hermano." Charlie glanced over his shoulder, baulking when he saw the RPG propped up onto Vaas's shoulder, loaded and ready to go.

"Eat this you fucking cock suckers!" The pirate lord shouted manically before squeezing the trigger. The hillside exploded in a plume of smoke and fire, tossing several rebels up into the air and tumbling down the embankment in a bloody mess of limbs. Vaas laughed madly, taking great delight in the sound of the rebels howling in pain, crawling along the ground like wounded dogs.

_Bang. _

Vaas watched one of the rebels head explode in a plume of red, spraying skull and brain along the white sand, swiftly followed by another. He grinned with wicked glee at the scene, taking great satisfaction out of the gory display.

"They're retreating!" Someone shouted from within the camp, snapping the pirate lord from his haze.

"Those motherfuckers think they can run from me?!" Vaas seethed angrily, eyes a lit with the fires of hell.

"Come on," the medic said as he gathered up his weapons, slinging them over his shoulder with haste; Charlie stepped out of the shanty to see Eli standing at the crest of the hill, gesturing at them wildly.

"Hurry the fuck up!" She shouted urgently before disappearing from sight. The two men raced up the hill, followed closely by three pirates.

"Get in!" Eli commanded, sitting impatiently behind the wheel of the _Technical_. Vaas jumped into the passenger seat, whilst the others climbed into the back. Charlie glanced at Eli with apprehension, squeezing the railing in a death grip. The medic sucked in a deep breath, hunkering down in the bed of the truck as best he could. An almost tangible energy buzzed around Eli, the woman was practically bouncing on the seat.

"You better buckle up," Charlie muttered from the back.

Eli turned the ignition, bringing the truck to life. She put it into reverse and slammed her foot on the accelerator, flying down the hill backwards. Vaas had barely enough time to grab onto the rail before she threw the handbrake on and steered a hard right, turning the _Technical _in a 180 power slide until it face forward once more. She cackled madly, pushing the gear into first before taking off once more; the truck bounced and fish tailed, flying over the dips in the road.

"Woo!" She howled over the rush of the wind. The mad muttering of Charlie could be heard in the background, a string of profanities tangled in his yelps. The pirates in the back weren't fairing so well either. They were practically welded to the handle bars, clinging on for dear life.

They quickly caught up with the retreating vehicle and closed in. Eli put her foot down, ramming hard into their bumper, rattling their skulls with the jarring movement; the rebels truck swerved violently, threatening to fishtail before righting themselves just in time. Vaas and Eli ducked when one of the men opened fire. The gun shot ripped through the air, ricochetting against the _Technical _with a loud ping, shattering the windscreen, glass showering everywhere.

Vaas returned fire, shooting through the hollow frame, hitting one rebel in the chest, the other in the head, killing them both. Eli pulled her pistol from the holster, she aimed for the rebels tires, giving off several shots before one hit its target, bursting the tire with a loud bang; the truck swerved dangerously across the road. Eli slammed her foot onto the accelerator, smashing into their bumper, pushing the vehicle off the road; it rolled down a steep embankment, colliding with boulders and trees before crashing into the river at the bottom.

"On your six!" One of the pirates shouted over the wind and began to unload a spray of bullets from the mounted gun. Another rebel convoy quickly closed in from behind.

Vaas spun in his seat excitedly, reloading his pistol, he leaned against the back of the seat and fired a few shots; a wide grin spreading across his face when a bullet hit its target, throwing the man out of the vehicle and rolling across the dirt, dead.

_Zip _

Blood spattered across the dashboard with gory bits of skull and brain matter. Eli squinted, wiping the droplets away from her eyes, cringing when a heavy weight fell against her, pressing her forward into the wheel.

"Get this fucking corpse off of me!" She shouted angrily, attempting to elbow the man's lifeless body out of her personal space. Vaas barked with laughter at the cross look on her face; he flashed her a grin before grabbing the man's body, throwing it out of the side door, sending him rolling down the hill and into the jungle.

Charlie ducked, narrowly missing a bullet to his head. He laid flat in the bed of the truck, peering over the edge, carefully aiming his assault rifle and shooting the rebel standing up on the gun. A clean shot to the head sent the man tumbling down, knocking into his cohorts, interrupting their fire for a few moments.

"Someone get on the gun!" Eli ordered, gripping the wheel deathly tight. She glanced to the side, curious, when Vaas began to climb out of his seat and up onto the gun. The pirate lord laughed madly, discharging a steady stream of bullets in the rebels direction. Eli cringed when the road forked up a head, a sharp left and right. She grit her teeth, quickly deciding which path to take.

"Hard right, hard right!" They took a sharp turn causing Vaas to stumble; Eli reached up to grab his leg in an attempt to steady him, she gripped him hard with her hand, trying to keep the vehicle steady with the other. Vaas laughed, giving her a wicked grin.

"That's fucking distracting, hermana!" He shouted over the rush of wind and bullets. Eli flashed him a confused glance and cringed. Her fingernails weren't digging into his leg at all, she had grabbed his _ass _by mistake_. _The colour drained from her face and she quickly let go, gripping the wheel with burning shame.

A loud _pop! _Sounded, catching Eli's attention. She glanced in the wing mirror, the rebels truck violently swerved off the road and coming to a jarring stop when they collided with a tree. Eli slammed on the breaks, sliding the _Technical _to an immediate halt. She put it into reverse and threw the handbrake on, performing the same technique she had earlier to spin the truck. They pulled up on the other side of the road and ducked behind the_ Technical _when the rebels began to open fire, hidden among the thick undergrowth of the jungle, moving within the dark shadows of the trees. Charlie threw Eli her assault rifle and she caught it, flicking off the safety and checking the chamber; inwardly thanking the medic for changing the scope, replacing it with night vision. She laid flat on the ground, taking cover beneath the vehicle, she swept her sight across the jungle, watching like a predator. When one of the rebels leaned out from behind a tree, she squeezed the trigger, firing off a single shot, hitting the man in the forehead.

"Grenade!" Charlie yelled with alarm and ran from the truck, ducking behind a tree. Vaas grabbed the back of Eli's vest, quickly dragging her away, pushing her to the ground with a thud, knocking the wind from her lungs when he landed on her back. The deafening sound of the explosion ripped through the jungle; shaking the ground beneath them. A swirl of fire ignited in the air, curling up in a blaze of red and orange, engulfing the _Technical _in a fiery embrace. Vaas got to his knees, peering at the aftermath through a thick bush.

Eli placed a hand over her mouth to smother the cough that came from the thick, black smoke that began to creep through the jungle. She slung her rifle over her shoulder, crawling on her hands and knees to join the pirate lord. Corpses of the pirates hissed and burned, filling the air with the ungodly smell of cooked flesh. The poor sods didn't get away from the explosion in time. No matter, they were a useless fodder anyway.

"They'll use the smoke as a cover," she spoke in a quiet whisper, green eyes searching through the smoke. "We need to watch our backs. They'll try to flank us." Vaas nodded in agreement and followed after Eli when she began to move, crouch-walking awkwardly to where Charlie had taken cover. She squinted in the darkness, barely able to see beyond the length of her arm; the shafts of light that penetrating through the canopy barely pushed back the thick shadows that consumed the jungle.

Eli gave a low whistle, sharply rising to a higher pitch then three quick beats to mimic the call of a bird. She sat in silence for a moment, straining to listen over the heavy hum of insects and the crackle of the fire. She breathed a sigh of relief when a similar whistle called back and carefully made her way towards the sound. A grin spread across her dirty face when she saw Charlie leaning against a tree; the pale glow of the moon lighting his features.

Vaas watched with furrowed brows when the two mercs began to make rapid hand gestures to one another, their lips moving, facial expressions quickly changing. After a few moments, they both nodded in silent agreement and made to move. Eli paused when Vaas gripped her shoulder, turning her to face him. Her breath hitched awkwardly when she realised how close he was crouching beside her; the heat from his body washed over her, faces only inches apart. She could make out every small detail on his face and see the flecks in his eyes.

"What the fuck was that?" He questioned lowly, his hot breath pouring over her face. "I don't speak fucking mime." Eli leaned further in, placing his lips beside her ear; afraid that if she spoke, a rebel would pick up on her voice and gun them down in a second.

"Charlie is going to flush them out," she spoke softly, her voice barely audible to her own ears. "Push them out of cover and right towards us. Then we're going to take 'em out, okay?" Eli pulled away to look him in the eyes. Vaas nodded with understanding, eyes flickering between her green eyes to her pale lips.

"If you two are quite finished eye fucking each other, can we get a move on?" Charlie hissed low, appearing from behind a bush, jolting the pair out of their unintentional staring contest.

"Let's move." The two mercs parted ways, slinking within the dark shadows of the jungle, demonic entities weaving through the trees. A few gun shots sounded, causing Vaas and Eli to halt, watching with great patience for Charlie to flush out their prey.

"There!" Eli quickly whispered, catching sight of one of the rebels sprinting across the road and up the embankment, jumping over the gnarled roots and skirting around the tall plants. The man came to a sliding halt, ducking behind a large bolder. Eli inwardly thanked the stars that the man wore light blue, Hawaiian print shirt, making him stick out like a sore thumb against the green and brown; the bright colour allowed her to see more easily in the dark. Eli shouldered her rifle, pulling the knife from her thigh holster, she began to crawl like a tiger through the undergrowth, moving carefully around any twigs and rocks.

Vaas observed her from his position behind a tree, watching with a primal sense of excitement; he licked his lips, eyes fixated on her, body trembling with adrenalin and anticipation. His eyes had quickly adjusted to the jungle, allowing him to catch a glimpse of her silhouette slinking through the shadows, all too eager to see her preform.

Eli pressed her back into the rock, sliding silently around the edge until she caught sight of the rebel from the corner of her eye. He crouched on the floor, eyes darting all around him in alarm, gun clutched to his chest. Eli carefully bent down and picked up a small rock from the floor and threw it; the stone knocked quietly against a tree, snapping the rebels attention in the same direction. With his focus elsewhere, Eli quickly moved, silently stalking behind the unsuspecting man. She lunged forward, wrapping an arm around his neck, squeezing it into a vice. The man began to trash wildly, hands clawing at her arm, legs moving in a chaotic dance. Eli sunk the knife into the man's neck with expert precision, severing the muscles and artery's; warm blood pumped profusely from the fresh wound, coating her hands in a slick red.

The rebel wheezed and coughed, blood sputtering from his lips. A sick, guttural noise came from his throat when he tried to breathe, the knife cut into him deeper as he did so; red ran down his arms and fingers, falling to the ground with a soft, rhythmical patter, collecting on the fallen leaves of the jungle. Eli kicked the back of his knees, forcing the man to the floor. She grabbed the knife, giving it a sharp twist, causing his body to jerk violently. His eyes rolled and his muscles fell slack. With one final breath, the man fell to the floor with a soft thud, dead.

Eli sighed with satisfaction, an eerie smile on her face as she stood, wiping her bloody hands and knife onto her cargo pants. Another gunshot rang out, causing her to duck instinctively to the floor. She shuffled along the ground, peering around the rock with wide eyes. A rebel ran across the moonlit road, head turned to glance at the jungle behind him, unaware that he was running straight into Vaas, whom waiting behind a tree, knife in hand ready to strike.

"Boo!" Vaas jumped out, knocking into the unsuspecting rebel. He pinned the man to the floor, grinning like a mad man.

"You think you can fucking shoot at me and get away with it, huh? I'm king of this fucking jungle! Not you, or that bitch Citra is going to take my throne!" He hissed darkly, eyes wide, nostrils flaring. Vaas lifted the knife, stabbing the man violently in the throat repeatedly, spattering blood and gore up onto his arms and face.

"I think he's dead now," Eli commented quietly from the side, watching the pirate lord literally beating the man's face into a bloody pulp.

Vaas stood from the bloody corpse, turning on his heel, he took quick strides towards her. The animalistic look on his face rose the hairs on the back of her neck, ringing a silent alarm in her mind. Eli carefully reached for her pistol, gripping the handle cautiously. Vaas stood in front of her, his chest heaving, wild eyes darting over her face. He reached up, hands shaking with adrenalin and gripped either side of her face, pressing his forehead against her own; the sweat of their brows mixed together, cascading across their faces and lips.

The pirate lord stared into her wide eyes, mesmerized by the bright colour and tiny flecks of brown. Vaas sighed, tilting his head up, nose brushing against her skin, he rested his chin on the top of her head for a moment and just like that, he stepped away, flashing the shell shocked Eli a smirk before turning on his heel, making his way back to the road.

_What...? _Eli reached up, fingers brushing against her cheek and she frowned, brows furrowed with deep annoyance. Two red, bloody hand prints smeared across her face in a sticky mess. She knew Vaas had done it intentionally, just to get under her skin and he had succeeded, much to her chagrin.

Charlie joined Vaas on the road, surveying the damage. All of the rebels had been taken care of, but they were left with a new problem: they had no vehicle. Great.

"We need to get away from here asap. The gun fire and explosion will have surely alerted any nearby rebels to our presence," Charlie said to the pirate lord, whom nodded in agreement. The medic rose a brow when he caught sight of Eli emerging from the jungle, a grin spreading across his lips at the unusual face paint she wore.

"Don't say a word," she hissed threateningly, shooting Vaas a dark glare.

"So, how far is it to walk back to Pirate Cove?" Luckily for the mercs, Vaas kept his satellite phone on his at all times, unlike them, who had left theirs behind in the shanty, forgotten in their haste to dress and arm themselves when the gunfight ensued. The pirate lord jabbed at the buttons, brows furrowed with visible annoyance, he began to pace up and down the road, feet stomping against the dirt. When a voice finally answered on the other end, he stopped, hand resting on his hip.

"Oh, thank you for picking up, hermano. I hope I'm not disturbing your fucking beauty sleep!" He spat heatedly. Vaas shouted down the phone, profanities and obscene sentences to the poor soul on the receiving end.

"Hurry the fuck up!" He shouted before ending the call.

The trio hid impatiently amongst the shadows of the jungle, waiting impatiently for the convoy to arrive. They peered behind the tall trees, eyes fixated on the road, watching for any sign of approaching vehicle, friend or foe. Finally, after what felt like hours, the convoy came into view, stopping just before the burnt out remains of the _Technical. _

The muscles in Vaas's jaw twitched with anger; he stepped out of the darkness, making quick strides to the pirates as they climbed out of the vehicles. They visibly tensed at the sight of him, slowly backing away when he got in their faces. The pirate lord shoved one of the men roughly, sending him to the floor; he stood over him menacingly, glaring holes into the pirate henchman's face. Vaas began to verbally rip the men to shreds, shouting and cussing in their faces, spitting fire with each word. Once he had finished, Vaas sucked in a deep, steady breath, brushing a hand through his Mohawk, he turned to the mercs, gesturing with the tilt of his head towards a _Technical_ that waited nearby.

"Hey," he grabbed a nearby pirate by the arm. "Bring the fucking bodies," the pirate lord ordered. The man nodded and made to pick up the corpses of his fellow pirates, but stopped when the pirate lord shouted.

"Not those ones, shit head, the rebels! Why the fuck would I want those useless retards?" Without another word, the pirates picked up the bodies of the rebels, throwing them ungraciously into the back of the truck, stacking them into a bloody pile of twisted limbs and burnt flesh.

"Let's get the fuck out of here."

* * *

Sooooo! What did you think?! I had _so much fun _writing this chapter, haha! Did you like it? Please let me know what you think~! :)

I know it's probably not the sort of action you were hoping for with Vaas and Eli, but it's early days, people! Hang in there! :D I'm having far too much fun torturing poor Eli, heheheh.

Chapters are starting to get longer and longer! Chapter ten was skirting along 7000 words! Eeek!

Don't forget to review! I really love hearing from you guys! PMs are nice too, if you'd rather keep it private! Constructive criticism is taken **_very_** well. I also love to bounce ideas and suggestions back and forth. :)

**** Oh, hey, before you go... please vote on the poll on my profile! It's important! ****


	8. Chapter 8

These chapters are gradually growing in length, haha. 6465 word(s) in this one! Not sure why, but I feel a bit nervous posting this one.

Thank you to those who reviewed: Lily, BBoop and KelseyParryMP. I appreciate you guys taking the time to review! It means a lot to me. :)

Big thanks to Black-fl0wer for helping me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

**Warning**: this chapter contains profanity, violence, ect.

Let's press on, shall we?

* * *

The sun gradually rose above the horizon, steadily increasing the heat to an uncomfortable temperature, grating on Eli's nerves as she stood in the brunt of it, gripping a rope with thick, itchy gloves smothering her hands. She squinted against the intense glare, staring up at the tall trees that offered her little to no shade. Charlie sat precariously on one of the thick branches, expertly tying a noose around the neck of a dead rebel. When they had returned to camp, Vaas had ordered the mercs to put the bodies on show as an example, so anyone that passed beneath the overhang the bodies dangled from would know what fate beheld them, if they dared cross the pirate lord in the future. So here they stood, on the parched dirt road, winching the bodies up into the trees, sweating like pigs.

Once the medic had finished fastening the noose, he roughly pushed the carcass off of the branch; the rope snapped taut, jarring the body, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum until he came to a slow, hanging next this his deceased brethren for the world to see.

"Is it just me or does this sort of remind you of decorating a Christmas tree?" Eli called from the ground, a hand over her eyes to shield herself from the unrelenting sun.

"With corpses?" Charlie questioned incredulously, tilting his head passed the branch, he gave her an odd look. "What kind of fucking Christmas trees have you been decorating?" The medic chuckled, shaking his head with amusement when he began to picture the rather fitting scenario of Eli dressing a tree with the bodies of her enemies.

"Your Christmases must have been fucking creepy," he commented with a grin. "Did you give each other severed heads for gifts? Or were those strictly for decoration?"

"Yeah, okay. I get it, smart ass," she grumbled indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hoist the other one up!" Eli grunted in acknowledgement. Fastening the rope around the waist of another stiff corpse, she paused, peering through the gaping wound in his head, fascinated by the bits of blood and gore gathered around the hole. She could see straight through, much to her amusement. Eli gripped the rope and began to pull, gritting her teeth from the insatiable buzzing of flies that swarmed around her; the incessant noise humming in her ears, mixed with the glare of the sun, a headache began to stir. A fly landed on the bloody hand print on her cheek, tickling her skin, bringing about the overwhelming need to swat the insect away and scratch the skin.

"Got it!" Charlie shouted, pulling the body up onto the branch and undoing the rope. Eli sighed, wiping the beading perspiration from her brow, she rubbed her cheek on her shoulder, satisfied when the urge faded. Eli glanced behind, scowling at the pirates leaning nonchalantly against their vehicles, chatting idly to one another. Their alleged 'protection' against any wildlife or rebels that may try to sneak up on them.

When they had strung the last man up, Charlie slid down the rope, planting his feet onto the dirt, he stood beside Eli, head tilted back to admire their handiwork. The bodies dangled from the overhang, swinging gently from the passing breeze, casting twisted silhouettes across the parched road. The humidity of the jungle began to slowly cook the flesh of the dead, filling the air with the faint smell of decomposition.

"Pretty as a picture!" Charlie said with sarcasm, giving Eli a playful nudge. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Would make a good postcard, I'm sure," she sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Can we go now? I need a shower. _Yesterday._"

"Yeah, tell me about it. You almost smell as bad as those guys," he jested, pointing up to the bodies dangling from the trees like a windchime. Eli shot him a dirty look, slapping the medic on the back as they made their way to the convoy. The pirates greeted them with a nod of their head, a minor improvement from the grunts and glares they used to receive.

The ride back to _Pirate Cove _was an uncomfortable one; every bump and turn tenderized their asses and ached their bones. Eli leaned her head back against the cab, enjoying the warm breeze whipping through her damp hair and across her neck. Oh, what she wouldn't give for a little something to sharpen her mind and senses. The heat started to make her feel a little hazy.

_What a day._

Upon arriving back at the camp, the two mercs made their way to the quiet end of the camp, the docks. They sat upon the wooden planks, talking casually to one another, devouring their food and drink whilst they waited for the pirate lord, whom was currently barking orders and cracking skulls. In their absence, reinforcements had arrived to bolster the defenses and clean up the aftermath of the night before. The carcasses were piled up, ready to be loaded into the back of a truck and dumped into a nearby mass grave, as ordered by the pirate lord, whom marched around the camp with a face like thunder. The new pirates began to quickly repair the damage to the buildings, patching up the holes with wood; scurrying around _Pirate Cove,_ picking up the debris littered across the sand.

"Hey, mercs!" A voice shouted from a distance. They turned away from the waters, glancing over to a pirate waving his hands in the air.

"We're ready to roll!"

The journey back had been tense, to say the least. Vaas was still stewing from the night before, despite taking his frustrations out on the commander at _Pirate Cove._ Charlie and Eli sat silently in the bed of the truck, flashing glances at one another, exchanging words with their eyes. Lucas greeted them once they reached the camp, a bright smile on his face. The techie rose a brow when he caught sight of the bloody hand prints on Eli's pale cheeks.

"Good night?" Lucas grinned, helping the mercs unload their gear from the truck; they parted from the pirates, walking up the incline towards their shantys. Charlie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You could say that," he mused. "Rebels attacked _Pirate Cove _last night." The techie's mouth parted with surprise.

"No way!" He exclaimed loudly. "Why do I miss all the fun?!" Eli rolled her eyes.

"You didn't miss much." Charlie scoffed.

"Except Eli's insane driving!"

"Insane? More like fucking awesome!" Lucas exclaimed with a grin. "I wish Roy had taught me how to drive. That man has some sick skills behind the wheel," he sighed wistfully, recalling the vivid memories of their time on the road with Roy, hanging on for dear life as they flew over bumps, swerving violently around corners and almost rolling into ditches.

"He's a maniac!" The medic shot back. "I almost got flung out of the truck and over the edge of that cliff, remember?" Lucas laughed loudly.

"Yeah, I remember," he sighed. "Good times. Good times." The mercs separated when they came to their respective shacks. Eli had an urgent date with a shower and Charlie wanted to sit in a quiet corner, putting his feet up for a few moments. Though, with Lucas hanging around, he didn't think it would be likely.

Eli glanced over her shoulder when she stood in her shanty, she snatched a dark coloured towel from her bag and picked a knife, concealing it within the folds; there was no way in hell she would risk showering, unarmed, with a camp full of men meandering just outside the door, especially when there was no actual lock. Not wanting to be caught naked, she picked up a black bikini top with matching swimming shorts, along with her sandals and scentless toiletries. With all the necessities in hand, Eli made her way down the incline and towards the make-shift shower, all too eager to rub the dry blood from her cheeks; she frowned at the thought. The door leading to the shower gave an ungodly shriek, notifying everyone within earshot that she was about to take a shower. A few pirates looked over, nudging one another, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey baby, you want a hand in there?" One of them called, giving a sharp whistle. The other pirates laughed, muttering quietly among themselves. A dark scowl pulled at her face; Eli paused, turning on her heel to face the pirates.

"Hey, here's an idea, how about I cut your fucking dick off and make your friend there eat it. How does that sound?" She muttered coldly, pulling the knife from her towel to accentuate her meaning. The pirates frowned at her threat, giving her one last glare, they turned their backs to her, focusing on whatever it was they were tending to before hand. Eli sighed, rolling her eyes before stepping into the shower, placing her belongings onto a table pushed into the dry corner. She wasted no time in stripping out of her clothes and into her bikini. The last thing she needed was for the door to burst open, revealing herself to the world. Eli raised her head, allowing the stream of freezing cold water to pelt against her skin. She scrubbed vigorously to wash away the blood and sweat smothering her flesh.

After she had washed her hair, she turned the small, rusted tap hanging precariously from the wall, shutting off the cold stream; she wrung her brown locks, squeezing the water that clung to the tendrils. Eli hastily dried herself off, dressing in her clean clothes that almost looked identical to the last; dark camo cargo pants with several zips and pockets to hold any items she may need. She fastened the Velcro around her ankles before pulling on her black combat boots, swiftly tying the laces with expert ease. Once she had pulled her black tank top over her head, she paused, hand hovering over two dogtag necklaces laying on the table. One belonged her, the other Sunny. Eli snatched them from the table, stuffing his into her pocket; a sudden sense of anger came over her and she scowled, tossing the towel over her shoulders, she put the knife back into it's sheath and threw the door open, stomping through the camp with a bundle of dirty clothes beneath her arms.

"That's better, I can finally breathe when you're in the room!" Lucas said when she stepped inside her shanty. The techie sat on the edge of her bed, toying with a scrap of red cloth on his lap.

"Make yourself at home!" Eli spat sarcastically, throwing her clothes into the corner. "What do you want?" Lucas scoffed, feigning a look of hurt.

"I'm not allowed to talk with my friend?" A deadpanned look from Eli followed. "Fine, fine," he sighed heavily.

"One of Vaas's little chihuahuas dropped by, said the pirate lord _insists _that we wear his colours whilst we're working for him," the female mercs face fell slightly at his words.

"Oh, don't worry, we don't have to wear those obnoxious red shirts or anything. He gave us these," the techie held up two strips of cloth between his fingers, the white lines of an eye peeking between the folds. "Bandanna's! Pretty cool, right?" Lucas took one of rags, fastening it around his neck.

"How fucking sexy do I look?" Eli gave him a flat look.

"You don't." Lucas frowned.

"Way to pull a man down." The techie tossed her one, which she easily caught. Eli held it up between her fingers, staring at the offending object with visible disgust. Red. Great. Now she was going to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the jungle backdrop. Was Vaas purposely trying to make things difficult? Of course he was. He was Vaas Montenegro, King of the Assholes! Whatever, she would wear the bloody thing if it meant less aggro from the pirate lord. Eli reluctantly wrapped the cloth around her bicep, using her teeth to tie an adequate knot. She scowled at the vibrant colour, entirely unhappy with it, but she would endure.

"I fucking hate this," the medic said when he appeared in the door, glaring at the rag wrapped around his arm in a similar fashion to Eli. Lucas scowled.

"Man, you two are such downers! Don't ever get married and have kids, okay? The world can't handle that much darkness." The two mercs shot the techie a glare, which quickly prompted him clamp his mouth shut, for a brief amount of time, at least. Charlie made his way across the room, pulling a chair from beneath the table, sitting himself down.

"Have you finished the transmitters?" Lucas glanced over at the medic, a grin spreading over his boyish face.

"Of course! Whilst you two were out having _fun,_ I was hard at work all night! I've got a few more to work on, but we'll have enough for now," he informed. Eli perked up at his words, excited at the prospect of pushing on with their mission. She needed the distraction.

"Good. I want to take the radio tower and outpost to the north then." Eli moved over to the map pinned against the wall, eyes sweeping across the terrain. "Once we've taken down the tower, we should be able to use our comms again."

"Aw, yes!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly. He loved it when they got to use their personal comms out on missions. It made the experience twice as fun. Well, for him anyway.

"When we've captured the tower, I want to move onto the outpost immediately."

Charlie nodded. "What's the plan?" Eli began pacing up and down the length of the room, finger tapping against her chin in thought, formulating a solid plan in her mind. She came to a halt and spun on her heel to face her comrades.

"I'll lay flat on the rocks just up here," she stood beside the map, pointing to the curve of white wrapping around one side of the camp. "I'll provide you with cover fire and keep an eye out on the road." the two male mercs leaned in, nodding their heads with agreement, listening intently to each word she spoke.

"Sparky, you'll come in from the south, there's two guards on each exit, so take them out and hide the bodies. Once you've done that, cut the alarm. For all we know, they could have hooked it up to a short wave frequency. We can't risk them alerting anyone in the vicinity to our presence."

"Got it."

"Doc, you take the west exit and the two rebels. If you're able to lure one away, I'll take care of the other one. Same goes for you, Sparky. Now, there were two vehicles parked there when we last checked; if they're still there, I want you to slit the tires and plant some concealed explosives."

"And the other guards?" Charlie questioned.

"There should be two men standing guard on top of the shantys. There's two ramps leading up, so I want you two to take them out quick and silent. I'll put down the guards on the outer perimeter and any patrolling the road." They silently agreed. "There's three men on the ground inside the base. When we last watched, they pathed a particular pattern, moving the same way each time. One pathing here, one here, and the other just here," she said, pointing to each individual spot on the map.

"You should be able to use the buildings as cover. Take 'em out and hide the bodies. We don't need someone tripping over a corpse and alerting anyone." Charlie spoke up.

"Assuming that everything is how we last saw it, we shouldn't need to deviate from the plan too much. We should observe from the cliff, just in case." Eli nodded in agreement at the medics words.

"What about the tower?" The techie questioned. When they had scoped out the radio tower, four rebels had been standing guard at the base. Eli lifted a brow.

"It's just four guards. There's no cover and no alarm. I'm sure we can manage to take them out without a fuss."

Charlie chimed in. "I'm making a rule right here. No fucking Molotov's, okay?" Eli and Charlie turned their accusatory gaze to Lucas.

"Oh, c'mon! That was _one _time!" He shot back. "I know Crazy Larry hates my guts now, but on the bright side, that guy has gone one wicked scar on his back and the ladies love it!" The two mercs rolled their eyes simultaneously at his words, sighing with exasperation.

"You set the man on fire, Lucas," Eli stated with a raised brow, recalling the unpleasant memory of when Larry had caught fire by an awry Molotov Lucas had thrown, igniting him in a swirl of fiery hell. She could still hear his cries of agony ringing sharply in her ears.

"It was an _accident!_"

"I told you not to toss it! You're worse at throwing than a inebriated monkey!"

"Hey, I was on the baseball team back in school!" Lucas argued back. Charlie opened his mouth to comment, but Eli shot them both a look, effectively silencing the two men.

"Let's keep the fires to a minimum, okay?" Lucas reluctantly nodded his head, disappointed that he wouldn't be able to take his favorite tool along. He always had such fun with those bad ass cocktails.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked Eli when she stepped out of the door. She turned, glancing over her shoulder at the medic.

"I better go inform the _boss _about our plan."

* * *

Eli peered around the corner and into the make-shift bar, spying the pirate lord sitting in a far corner, lounging in a chair with a beer in his hand. He stared out into the jungle, eyes glazed over in thought. Eli sucked in a deep breath, mentally psyching herself up to approach him in the company of so many pirates.

_You've killed people with your bare hands and you're wetting yourself over walking into a room full of people? Makes perfect sense._

After mentally berating herself, she quickly rounded the corner, taking the small steps up into the bar, she weaved through the tables, brushing passed the pirates with disgust. Vaas glanced up when he heard her approach, a cheeky smirk spreading across his face.

"You have your hair down! Very nice sexy, I like it!" The pirate lord complimented, flashing her a grin. Eli suddenly felt very awkward with herself and brushed her still damp hair over her shoulder, giving him a glare. Oh, he was enjoying tormenting her. That slimy bastard.

"What can I do for you, hermana?" He asked cheerfully, taking a swig from his beer. "Let me guess, you miss me and you're bored so you want to go behind the shanty and have a little fun, is that it?" Eli stood rigid, jaw pulling tighter with each passing second. She flexed her hand, clenching and unclenching into a tight fist to ease the tension quickly building between her shoulders; she cleared her throat, putting on the best smile she could muster.

"No, sorry, that's not why I'm here," she replied with a forced politeness. Vaas merely shrugged. "I thought I should let you know that we plan to take the radio tower and outpost just north of here." The pirate lord turned to her, intrigued, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"When?"

"Today. What do you think?"

Vaas nodded his head. "If you can get the fucking job done, I don't care. The rebels in that camp have been giving me a headache with their bullshit attempts at attacking my camp." The rebels had tried (and failed) on several occasions to capture Vaas's camp. It was one of the larger, more fortified ones on the island which proved to be too much for the rebels. Still, it kept the pirate lord entertained for the evening when he mowed them down. It was good target practice.

"Alright. Sparky, Doc and I will head up there and set up before nightfall. Then the real fun begins," she grinned mischievously, eyes dancing with mirth at the many ideas that began to spring up in her mind.

"You want to join us?" The words spilled from her lips before her brain had a chance to stop her. Why why why? The grin on his face grew at her words and she inwardly cringed, mentally slapping her imaginary self across the face, screaming profanities.

"Ah, see, hermana, you're warming up to me. It's only a matter of time before you're begging me to fuck your brains out," he teased with a wink. "I know you'll miss me. Fuck, I would too, but I can't join you on your little skirmish. I've got fucking business to attend to, someone's gotta sort the ugly rejects from the candidates," he told her, somewhat disappointed he would not be able to witness the mercs in full action.

"Try not to cry, okay? It's only for a short while! When you get back, we can make up for lost time. What do you say?" Eli deadpanned at his words, tilting her head to the side, she gave him a blank look.

"Oh, yeah, I'll try to keep it together. I mean, it'll be pretty hard and all, but I'm sure I'll manage," she spat with the utmost sarcasm she could muster. Vaas chuckled at her words, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Ah, see, that's what I appreciate about you. You're fucking spunky, you know?" He grinned widely. "Now get the fuck out of here. I want those rebel shitheads dead before tomorrow."

"Aye aye, Captain!" She said with a lazy, mock salute, spinning on her heel, she left the bar and made back up the incline towards her shanty.

"Vaas has given us the green light," she told the two mercs still sitting in her room. "Get off your asses and gear up!"

* * *

The hike to their destination took much longer than they would have liked. On more than one occasion they had taken a wrong turn, standing at the top of a steep cliff or at the bottom of a waterfall; the tall trees and thick bushes all looked the same, making it difficult to navigate through the bowels of the jungle. A unanimous sigh sounded when they spotted the peak of the radio tower dominating the trees from it's high seat on the steep hill. Charlie leaned against a sturdy tree, his energy all but sapped from the thick humidity of the jungle and dense overgrowth that made it difficult to catch his breath. Wiping the sweat with the back of his shaking hand, the medic pushed away from the tree, following after his team mates. A sense of relief swelled inside of the mercs when they came to the fringe of the jungle, leading to a dirt road. They dropped to a crouch, slowly shuffling their away to the edge of the grass, they paused, turning their heads left and right, listening intently for any sign of human life.

Eli nodded, giving them the all clear; the got to their feet and ran across the road, sliding to a stop once they reached the other side, ducking behind the tall grass. Their breaths hitched anxiously when the sound of a vehicle touched their ears, rapidly drawing closer. They kept low, peering through the blades of green. A truck turned the corner and drove fast down the road. Three men sat in the bed of the truck, two in the front and another on the mounted gun. They released a breath once the rebels turned a corner, out of sight.

"Okay, we're going to split up. Sparky, Doc, you go around the east side. I will go west. I want to get up onto the overhang, just in case. Wait for my signal." The nodded in agreement and parted ways, silently creeping moving through the grass.

Eli began to crawl further up the incline at a snails pace, skirting around a well worn path in the dirt, ducking for cover behind bushes and boulders. She froze when a voice caught her attention, dropping like a stone to the floor, concealed behind a bush. Footsteps approached, growing closer with each passing second. Her heart began to quicken, thumping wildly against her chest. When a pair of sandals came into view she quickly pushed herself from the ground and grabbed the person from behind, covering their mouth with her hand and roughly pulling him to the floor. Eli pinned the man beneath her own body, distinctively a rebel, and reached down for a knife, sliding the blade out of it's sheath and gripping it tightly, she pressed the dagger into his skin, dragging the sharp edge across his throat. The man writhed desperately, wriggling his arms and legs that were anchored to the floor. Blood spilled from the open wound, pouring profusely onto her hands and knife, soaking the soil in red. The rebels movements slowed, muscles slackened and his eyes rolled in his head.

"Wrong place at the wrong time. Sorry, mate," she muttered with little remorse, wiping her bloody hands and knife on the man's once blue shirt. She moved on without pause, killing the man had slowed her down, but not by much. Once at the crest of the hill, Eli began to crawl through the grass, her destination within her sight.

The overhang provided the perfect vantage point of the clearing below, leaving the unsuspecting men whom wandered at the base of the radio tower open to danger. Eli laid against the cool grass, gazing through the scope of her sniper rifle. She waited with great patience, eyes never straying. From her high perch, she could see Charlie and Lucas peering behind a tree, binoculars in hand, staring up in her direction. Eli raised her head, giving a small gesture with her hand, the men began to move, creeping through the shadows of the jungle and out of her sight.

Four men were stationed at the radio tower, the unexpected fifth lay dead in the grass just at the bottom of the hill. They carried AK 47s, pistols and machetes. Nothing she couldn't handle. With one last sweep of the area, she pulled a man up in the crosshair of her scope and sucked in a deep breath. She squeezed the trigger and the gun jerked with a soft noise. Eli watched a plume of red spurt up from the man's forehead, sputtering blood and brain matter in a gory shower. Once the man had hit the floor, she quickly moved onto the other; he hadn't seen nor heard his friend fall, his back turned, watching the jungle, oblivious to his impeding deaths.

_Zip._

Another unsuspecting guard fell to the floor, a crimson halo pooled beneath his heads, grey lumps and skull fragments collected around the gaping hole. Eli let out a shaky breath, wiping the sweat from her brow and neck. She peered through the scope, waiting anxiously for Lucas and Charlie to dispatch the two remaining guards that stood behind a small shack that obscured her view.

The two male mercs crawled out of the tall grass and ran for cover behind the shanty. Lucas and Charlie exchanged nods before they branched off, each of them rounding the opposite corner of the building, knife gripped firmly in their grasp. Eli grinned when the two mercs re emerged, beckoning her over. She swept her sight over the surrounding area one last time, watching for any sign of danger. When she deemed it safe, she began to dissemble her gun and place it back into her pack. She pulled out a machete and cautiously made her way around the clearing, slinking through the trees like a demonic shadow.

"Nice shootin', Tex!" Lucas greeted Eli, an excited grin on his face.

"We need to get rid of these bodies," the medic mused, eyeing the bloody mess behind them. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Let's roll them down the south side of the cliff. That way we won't have to worry about my predators prowling around," suggested the techie.

"You two get on that. I'm going up top!" Eli announced, glancing up at the imposing radio tower looming above them. Lucas pouted.

"Why do you get out of the shitty work?" He whined.

"Because I'm your superior!" She huffed. "Now get to work!" Lucas scowled, flipping her off; Eli grinned in response and made her way to the base of the tower and began the ascent, climbing the winding metal stairs that groaned with each step she took. A cool breeze welcomed her at the very top and she smiled, peering over the side of the railing, she could see a good portion of the island from her perch.

A small control box caught her eye and she moved closer, almost laughing at the small padlock and chain. She broke the lock with little effort, tossing the object over the side of the tower, she eyed the insides carefully and began to flick a few appropriate switches; the tower gave a soft hum before it powered down, the light flickered and waned, before sparking up a brilliant red. She replaced the small lock with a much more sturdy and robust one, clasping it around the latch, she clicked it firmly shut. Satisfied with her handiwork, Eli pulled out her phone, hitting the speed dial number for Lucas. Three short rings later, a voice greeted her on the other end.

"Vaas Montenegro, you got the dough, we got the ho!" Her brows knit together in confusion and she abruptly pulled the phone from her ear, checking the number on the screen. She had dialed correctly, so how did she end up calling Vaas? Then it hit her.

"You asshole! You put your own god damn number in my speed dial?!" She seethed angrily. When Vaas laughed loudly into the receiver, it took every ounce of her self restraint not to let rip at the pirate and toss the phone over the side of the tower.

"You don't like it, hermana? This way you can contact me any time you like!" She could almost _see _the smirk on his face. "You know, in case you miss me."

"I'm busy right now, Vaas, I don't have time for your bullshit!"

"What, no phone sex? No dirty text messages?" Vaas sighed heavily into the phone. "You're fucking boring, you know that?" Eli remained silent, inwardly trying to calm the murderous rage that was beginning to build inside of her.

"Don't tell me you're giving me the silent treatment? That hurts my fucking feelings, you know." He spoke soft and quiet in a mockery of hurt. "How do you expect us to get along if you won't play the game?" Eli pinched the bridge of her nose, grinding her teeth together from stress.

"Wait, do you hear that?" A silent pause followed. "That's the sound of me not caring, okay? Bye!" Eli jabbed the button with force, promptly hanging up.

_What an ass!_

A sharp whistle from below broke her out of her train of dark thoughts; she peered over the railing, Charlie and Lucas stood at the bottom, the latter waving his arms back and forth like a fool. When her phone began to vibrate against her leg, she inwardly groaned, hoping that it wasn't the pirate lord.

"Yes?" She spat with contempt, glaring daggers at a small, white cloud that floated in the distance.

"It's Doc," she instantly relaxed, sighing a breath of relief. "We'll start planting the explosives on our way up. You all done up there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good to go."

* * *

Once they had successfully planted the explosives and their feet were firmly on the ground (after their fun on the zip line), they set off into the jungle, trekking through the wall of plants and curtains of vines, lifting their legs in an awkward march, constantly on the look out for danger that lurked beneath every rock and up every tree; the sun had already begun to set, painting the sky a dark hue. The team of mercs came to a halt at the edge of the tree line, white, chalky rocks stretching in front of them. They crawled along the rough surface belly first, inwardly thankful they had bothered to put on elbow and knee pads. Charlie pulled his binoculars from his pack, peering over the edge of the cliff, watching the rebels move around the camp. He shifted his gaze from one end to the other, counting the heads and watching their paths. Eli and Lucas did the same, taking mental notes of anything out of place.

Two stilted shantys stood adjacent to one another; tin top roofs, boarded windows and a rusted metal door with two rebels standing guard on each roof, striding up and down the length, watching the perimeter. Two rebels were posted at the south and west exit, four unmoving stone pillars standing guard. Meandering around inside of the compound were three more, moving up and down in predictable patterns, sweeping along the shantys before turning back, treading the same path.

"Vehicles are still there," Doc commented, spying two Jeeps parked by the exit. "Their patrol patterns don't seem to have changed much," he added, watching the guards meandering around the camp, drawing serpentine's into the sand.

"Two men stationed at the western exit," Eli muttered quietly. "Another two at the south."

"We'll need to draw them away to prevent anyone seeing us take 'em down," Lucas added. Eli nodded her head in silent agreement.

"Sparky, if you could lure one away and dispatch him, that would be really great. I'll take care of the other one."

"Got it." The mercs moved away from the edge, crouching closely to one another, Eli pulled out three matte-black ear pieces with matching throat strap mics, handing one to each of them.

"With the tower re configured, our comms should be up and running," she said, strapping the mic around her throat; cringing when the itchy material scratched her skin. She hated these.

"Aw, baby, I missed you!" Lucas cooed at the inanimate object, giving it a soft kiss. Charlie and Eli rolled their eyes, shaking their heads with amusement.

"Focus, Sparky!" Charlie hissed quietly, shooting him a glare. "This isn't the time for your bullshit immaturity, okay?"

"Okay, okay, geez!"

"The light is starting to die," Eli said with a quick glance up at the gradually darkening sky. "Get your night vision goggles out." She fished through her weapons pack, pulling out a pair of black goggles, slipping them onto her head; the straps pinched at the skin, chaffing awkwardly beneath her chin. She pulled the lens's over her eyes, igniting the world in shades of green.

"Remember the plan. Stay hidden, and please, for the sake of my sanity, don't bloody die!"

"Roger that!" The two male mercs said in unison. Eli nodded, satisfied.

"Move out!"

Lucas and Charlie parted ways, skirting around the edge of the cliff until they came to the incline on either side, they slid down silently, hidden in the shadows of the trees. Lucas crawled along the floor, blue eyes darting around, searching for danger; the perimeter of the camp just up a head. The techie slowed, pressing his back into a tree, peering around, he cringed, quickly ducking behind a tree when a guard rounded a corner, casually walking towards him, gun resting on his shoulder.

"_Target has broken away from the heard, move in ready to strike!_" The hushed tone of Eli spoke into his ear. Lucas said nothing, listening intently to the sound of footsteps growing louder with each passing second. The rebel came to a stop, just on the other side of the tree. After a quick sweep of the jungle, the man turned on his heel and began to walk back.

Lucas pushed away from the bark, crawling behind the man like a tiger sneaking up onto it's prey, he lunged, hand clamping firmly over the man's mouth; the techie dragged the flailing rebel backwards and into the jungle. Lucas pulled the man roughly to the floor, wrapping his legs around his torso, squeezing his lungs in a python's embrace. He reached his other hand to the back of the rebel's head, gripping the neck, he gave it a sharp twist, snapping the bone with an audible crack. Sparky sighed with relief, untangling himself from the unmoving man, he pulled him further into the jungle, pressing his fingers against the man's pulse for good measure. Satisfied the man was dead, he pressed on, skirting closely to the wall, he spotted the other guard on the floor, dead. Blood pooling beneath his head. Lucas leaned passed the entrance, once the deemed it safe, he sprinted across the opening, sliding to a halt when he reached the other side. The techie grabbed the rebel by the legs and pulled him away from the camp, dumping him in the bushes.

"Target one and two are sleeping in the woods," he whispered through short pants of breath. Wiping the sweat from his neck, he pushed on, sneaking inside the south exit with ease, ducking behind a shanty. A small, red box caught his attention, a green light flashing at the top. The alarm. Lucas pressed his stomach against the dirt and crawled beneath the stilted shanty, peering through the slats of wood that kept him hidden from view.

"_Doctors in the building," _Charlie whispered into the mic, notifying his teammates he had slipped inside the camp.

"_Taking out target five wandering the perimeter. Watch your backs!_" Eli warned.

"Techie has landed, rolling in the dirt._"_

"_Techie needs to go roof side!" _Lucas rolled his eyes at the medic's words. Sparky maneuvered awkwardly in the small space, crawling across the sand, he climbed out beneath the shanty, pulling childish faces as he inwardly mocked Charlie. The techie suddenly froze, staring into the wide eyes of a rebel standing only a few feet away. How had he not noticed him before? He wasn't supposed to path here!

"What!?" The man exclaimed with alarm, eyes growing wide, he reached for his weapon.

_Shit._

* * *

What did you think? I'd really like to know. Feels like I'm singing in a empty theater at the moment.

Also, check out spamlionofdoom103's FC3 fanfiction 'Photography At Its Finest' I'm really enjoying reading it so far! :)


	9. Chapter 9

First of all: Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I really love you guys! VaasFan, angelaaaaa, AmyFTW123, KiwiMeMi, KelseyParryMP, and Lily! We've almost reached 50 reviews, yay! To celebrate this milestone, I'll be gifting the 50th reviewer a drawing of their choice! ^.^ And hopefully, I will be doing the same for the 100th, 150th, ect. So keep it up, guys!

I'm sorry this one is a little late. My creative energy was being sapped by the picture of Eli and Vaas I was drawing! **(LINK ON MY PROFILE IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT!)**

I'm really pleased that you guys are enjoying my OCs. I was a little unsure at first, but I think it would have been unrealistic of Volker to send a single female mercenary to accomplish such a large scale task. Besides, I enjoy writing the banter between them!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

I am a little unsure if you guys will enjoy this chapter or not. I'm nervous about posting it. Eek!

Off we go then!

* * *

Lucas cringed, cursing quietly beneath his breath, he pulled the knife from his thigh holster, thrusting it upwards, into the rebels jaw before he had the chance to call for help. He stumbled back, thumping against metal fencing, causing it to rattle. The techie growled with annoyance, twisting the blade further into his skin, he pulled the rebel to the floor, hand clamped over his mouth, he quickly began to drag his twitching body beneath the shanty.

"Did you hear something?"

"Sounded like it came from over there."

_Fuck!_

Sparky violently thrust the knife in twice more, ending the rebels life. He glanced over his shoulder, sucking in a quick breath when he saw the droplets of blood staining the sand, leading beneath the building. He made a move to crawl out and cover his tracks, only to stop when the sound of footsteps began to approach.

"_Lay low!_" Eli hissed quickly into the mic when two rebels rounded the corner, closing in on the techie's position.

"Hey, wasn't someone suppose to be standing watch here?" One of the rebels asked curiously. Lucas sat with baited breath, staring with wide eyes at the pair of sandals only a few feet in front of him.

"I'll check the perimeter."

"Yeah, okay man, I'll wait here." Lucas grit his teeth in frustration, inwardly cursing his luck. The techie grimaced when the rebel suddenly bent down, fingers brushing through the dirt; he swiped a finger in the spot of blood, rubbing his fingers together, he frowned.

Lucas tightened his grip around the knife, slowly creeping closer, he moved behind the rebel, sneaking up from the rear; he pounced, blade penetrating through the back of his skull, knocking him to the floor with a thud. He pulled the weapon from his bleeding head and turned the rebel over. The man laid unmoving, staring up at him with wide, listless eyes. Sparky let out a shuddered breath and began to drag the body into his hiding place, covering his tracks behind him.

"_Sparky, you need to get t__o the red box, now!" _The voice of Eli demanded into his ear piece.

"I'm working on it!" He shot back with irritation.

"_Cut the tires and planted the_ _wires!" _Charlie called into the mic, signifying he had accomplished his first task. "_Heading up now."_

Lucas grit his teeth with frustration, he was falling behind! All because of his bad luck. As per fucking usual. He moved to the entrance, sweeping his eyes left and right for any sign of danger. The techie crawled out, skirting around the building until he came to the corner, he spied the red box only a few feet away. Glancing upward, he caught a quick glimpse of Charlie sneak up on the unsuspecting rebel on the roof, the medic snatched the rebel from behind, pulling him out of view.

"_Fuck, change of plans, leave the alarm!_" Eli called frantically. Lucas ducked out of view, hiding in the shadows of the shanty, back pressed against the side. He leaned around the corner, a rebel wandered into the middle of the camp, his head turning left and right.

_That was close. _He inwardly mused, letting out a heavy breath.

_Zip._

A plume of red exploded from the back of the rebels head, spattering along the floor. He fell onto his knees, hitting the ground with a muted thud. Another quiet zip sounded, followed by the loud rattling of metal from above. Lucas turned when a body rolled off of the roof, landing with a thump just behind him.

Eli and Charlie emerged from the shadows a few moments later, sweeping their sights across the camp; chest heaving from the adrenalin surging through their veins. They re grouped with Lucas behind the shack, crouching low, they leaned in, whispering quickly to one another.

"Sparky, Doc, do a quick sweep of the outer perimeter, make sure we haven't missed anyone." The two men nodded obediently at her command. "I'll make sure the shanty is clear. Move out!" The three mercs parted ways, branching off to different corners of the compound, disappearing from each other's sight.

Eli made her way over to the small shanty, slinging her rifle over her shoulder, she pulled a pistol from her holster and cautiously opened the door, cringing at the ungodly shriek grating against her ears. She crouched by the threshold, gun raised, sweeping her sights across the room. The dim bulb hanging from the ceiling was lit, casting a wane glow over the rotten wood and torn furniture placed haphazardly around the room. A worn table sat in the corner, tools, paper and rubbish littered over the surface next to the moth eaten floral sofa, stained and splitting at the seems. A pile of mattresses were pushed into the corner beside a weapons locker, doors open and empty. A small radio caught her attention; buzzing with the sound of life, lights flickering. She slowly made her way over, pausing when a quiet noise touched her ears. Eli glanced sideways at the couch, eyes narrowing with suspicion, taking tentative steps forward, she raised her gun.

_Bang._

The pistol went off when a force suddenly collided with her midsection, sending her roughly to the floor with a thud, knocking the wind from her lungs and distorting the world around her. Eli shook away the blurry lines and muted sounds, staring up at the rebel straddling her waist, a knife in his hands. He brought down the blade, aiming for her chest; Eli bucked her hips, throwing him off balance and tumbling to the ground. She pounced on top of him, punching the rebel in the face, forcing her knee into his gut, causing him to sputter and wheeze.

The two began to wrestle along the floor, rolling and thrashing violently, vying for dominance. Eli blocked his attempts at hitting her in the face, giving her the opportunity to retaliate with her own strikes. The door to the shanty burst open, slamming against the wall with a bang. Charlie and Lucas stood in the door way, chests heaving, guns raised. They closed the space between them, snatching the rebel away from Eli, pinning him roughly to the floor.

"Wait-!" Eli exclaimed breathlessly when Lucas raised his gun to the rebels temple, he pulled the trigger, spattering blood along the walls and floor. She sighed, shoulders sagging with defeat.

"What?" Lucas asked innocently.

"I was going to suggest that we keep him alive, you know, for interrogation," she huffed, shooting Lucas a dirty look. "Guess he won't be doing much talking in this state," she gestured to the bloody mess dripping from the walls and ceiling.

"Oops," the techie cringed, embarrassed.

"Yeah, oops. Guess who gets to clean it up?" Eli told him with a forced grin on her face. The techie groaned childishly, placing the gun near his temple, he made a noise akin to a gunshot, throwing his head to the side, using his hand to mimic the plume of blood. Charlie and Eli rolled their eyes at his theatrics, inwardly amused.

"You okay?" Charlie asked with concern, giving her a quick once over to check for injuries. Eli nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That sneaky bastard was hiding behind the sofa!" She said incredulously. The space between the wall and the couch looked much too small to conceal a man of his size. Apparently looks _can _be deceiving. Charlie tutted.

"Oh dear, what would Roy say if he knew a rebel had jumped you, huh?" Eli scowled at the medic, flipping him off; Charlie flashed her a grin, patting her on the head.

"Well I guess the area is secure now," the techie mused wryly, face scrunched up as he nudged the dead rebel with his boot.

"Speaking of which, what the hell was that earlier?" Charlie questioned sharply, hands resting on his hips; a disapproving look settled upon his features, blue eyes staring holes into Lucas's face. "You almost blew our cover!" The techie scowled.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know he was going to change his path?" He shot back in defense.

"Rookie mistake." Lucas opened his mouth to argue, only to be interrupted.

"Alright, kids, settle down," Came the authoritative voice of Eli. "Okay, it was a little _messy, _but we got the place, didn't we?" The two male mercs exchanged looks, reluctantly nodded. Eli rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know, you like to do things perfectly. Ghosts in the wind and all that jazz, but things don't always go according to plan." A wry smirk began to creep across her lips, causing the men to glance at one another with worry.

"Besides, I've got an idea!" She said with wicked glee, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh?" Lucas leaned in, eager to hear. When she got that look, he knew shit was about to go down. Some good, fucking _awesome_ shit.

"Oh god!" Charlie exclaimed with alarm. He reached out, pressing a hand to a bewildered Eli's forehead. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Bugger off!" Eli scowled, swatting his hand away.

"Don't keep us in suspense, woman!" Lucas said impatiently.

"Okay, okay, listen up!" They inched closer, hanging off of her every word. "I want to set up a roadblock with those two Jeeps, park 'em a few yard down the road," they nodded, listening intently. "Lucas is going to sit up in a tree on one side and me on the other."

"And me?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Doc, you're gonna pull that little alarm over there, letting our friends know we're here." The two men eyed her incredulously. Had she gone mad? She wanted to lure the rebel reinforcements? A switch flicked in Charlie's mind and he grinned.

"Ah, I see. You want to draw them out and when they get close, _BOOM!_ You're going to set off the fireworks?" Eli nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "I like it."

"Sweet!" Lucas said excitedly. "Oh, man, I can't wait! Can we get started already?"

"Do one last sweep around the perimeter, then we can set up the party," Eli instructed with authority. The techie grinned, making quick strides across the compound and out of the base.

"Doc, can you tidy up the base a bit?" Eli asked, nudging the body of a rebel with her boot, a coy smile upon her face. "We don't want the place to be messy for our party guests now, do we?" Charlie rolled his eyes, sighing with exasperation.

* * *

The sound of bugs hummed loudly in the jungle. They swarmed above the techie's head, desperately trying to land on his sweaty skin and eat him alive. Lucas cursed quietly under his breath, swatting another insect from his arm. They were driving him insane! The techie was dangerously close to whipping out is pistol and just shooting the damn things if it got rid of them.

Lucas sat on a sturdy branch of a tree, peering down the scope of his sniper rifle boredly. He turned the gun left and right, sweeping along the road. It had been an hour since he had climbed the tree and set up his nest. And he was already bored. Eli and Charlie were busy rigging the two Jeeps up on the road, blocking the path leading to the compound. Each vehicle was laced with explosives, hidden on the undercarriage and in the back seats. It had been a bit difficult with the tires slashed, but they had managed to manoeuvre them with some expert driving from Eli and a string of profanities from Charlie.

"Sparky, report!" Charlie whispered quickly, standing at the base of the tree. Lucas pulled away from the scope and glanced at the rather irritated looking medic.

"Roads all clear," he muttered flatly. "Just like it was five minutes ago." Charlie nodded, pushing away from the tree, he jogged across the road to the adjacent one where Eli roosted on a branch, hidden beneath a thicket of leaves.

"_We're ready__ to rock and roll," _Eli's voice wafted over the comm. The atmosphere changed from dull to electric in a second. Lucas shifted to get a better position, an excited grin spread across his sweaty face. He watched Charlie run up the road, skirting passed the two vehicles and into the camp; he stood in front of the alarm, waiting for the signal.

"_Hit it!" _Charlie flipped the switch, bringing the alarm to life with a grating noise a kin to an air raid siren, blaring out through the speakers around the camp. A crackling noise followed, a rebel spoke through the radio on the alarm, alerting Charlie that they would be there in less than half a minute.

"_Places, people! The shows about to begin!" _The medic sprinted across the compound and out of the opposite side of the camp, where he had hidden several proximity mines within the dirt, just in case. The road to the south lead directly to another outpost; which made it likely the rebels would use the south road, driving directly into their road block. He skirted around the perimeter and into the jungle until he was at the crest of a hill, overlooking the south exit; he laid flat against the grass, taking the sniper rifle in hand that he had set up.

"_In coming from the south!" _Lucas hissed through the comms, excitement audible in his voice. "_Two Techinicals, six hostiles_."

The vehicle sped down the road, flying over the dips and turning sharp corners. They came to a slow when the two Jeeps caught their attention, stopping a few yards away. The rebels stepped out, weapons at the ready; they exchanged wary looks, cautiously moving closer to the road block.

"_Not yet, not yet." _Charlie's finger ghosted over the trigger switch, twitching with anticipation. He watched with baited breath as the rebels stepped closer to investigate, poking around the Jeep, peering beneath the undercarriage and in the back seats, searching for enemies. They would never find the explosives unless they tore open the upholstery and crawled beneath the vehicle themselves, the medic had a certain finesse for concealing things.

"_Light it up, baby!_" Charlie flicked the red switch; the explosion cut through the jungle, echoing like a roar of thunder, shaking the ground and trees. A swirl of fiery red and orange ignited into the air, shadows flickered from the intense burst of light, a wave of heat rippled in the jungle, sucking the oxygen from the atmosphere, replacing it with a thick cloud of black smoke.

Eli and Lucas honed in on the rebels that hadn't been blown away from the force, they squeezed the triggers, giving a muted _zip _when the bullet flew from the barrel, embedding into the rebels heads and chest, knocking them to the floor with a jerking motion. When the rebels had all been killed, they remained rooted, waiting patiently for another wave of rebels to arrive. A small convoy of five men pulled to a stop at the end of the road, staring at the fire encompassing the Jeeps, surrounded by a mess of bloody limbs and charred bodies.

"_Take 'em out?" _The techie questioned, his cross hair trained on the drivers head. Eli gave him the all clear, and the three mercs opened fire, silently taking each of the men out before they had a chance to jump out of the truck and defend themselves. Again, they waited, but this time, no reinforcements came. After an hour of sitting stiff up in the trees, they climbed down, dissembling their weapons and re grouping inside the camp.

"That was fun!" Lucas exclaimed, flashing them a boyish grin, the merc stretched his arms above his head, turning his head left and right to relieve the pressure building in his muscles.

"Now all we need to do is set off the radio tower," Charlie mused, wiping the beads of sweat from his dirt streaked face. Eli nodded, eyes turning away from the fire that slowly ate away at the Jeep.

"Think you can handle that, Sparky?" Eli questioned, glancing at the techie over her shoulder.

"Uh, you sure about that, E?" Charlie asked with quiet concern, earning a glare from Lucas. "I wouldn't trust that guy with a lighter, never mind C4!"

"Hey!" Lucas snapped, offended. "I'm standing right here!" The medic rolled his eyes.

"You're hard to miss with that big gob of yours." Lucas scoffed.

"Yeah, well-!" The techie stumbled over his words awkwardly, desperately trying to think of an intellectual comeback. "I've been told I have a rather _purdy _mouth, actually!" He frowned, deadpanning at his own words. What the hell was that?

Charlie chuckled with amusement, flashing him a grin. "Oh, you're right! But I wouldn't think too much on that. After all, it was Buck who said it." At the mention of the Australian's name, both men shuddered, cringing as they recalled their brief encounters with the hitman.

"Enough already," Eli sighed, scrubbing a hand over her face. "Just go do your bloody job, Sparky."

"Aye aye!" With a mock of a salute, Lucas set off, disappearing into the jungle. Eli and Charlie began to clean up the base, collecting the scorched, stumpy limbs scattered among the foliage, the flesh an ugly black, blistered and smoldering. Eli cringed, picking up a severed arm, tossing it with disgust onto the growing pile of corpses. Just as she bent down to pick up a decapitated, burnt head, her satellite phone began to vibrate against her leg. She pulled off her gloves, stuffing them into her other pocket.

"Yes?" She answered impatiently.

"Hola, hermana!" The voice of Vaas greeted cheerfully and she frowned, sighing quietly. "Miss me?"

"Like a bullet to the brain," she spat boredly, shooting the tree in front of her an irritated glare when the pirate lord began to chuckle.

"Ah, you're so fucking sweet, you know?" He mocked, a grin audible in his tone. "Did you kill those fuckers?"

"Yeah, we cleared out the compound," she informed the pirate lord, who began to tut.

"I heard the alarm go off. Hermana, I'm disappointed. I thought you were better than that! I was beginning to wonder if you shit heads were dead." The tone in which he spoke implied that he would not have been upset about that fact.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that was on purpose. We set the alarm off to lure the reinforcements out and kill them." The pirate lord gave an abrupt bark of laughter.

"Oh, I like it. That's fucking sneaky!" Vaas said with sadistic glee.

"Can you send some men over? We need to secure the camp and set up patrols along the roads." Eli abruptly pulled the phone away from her ear when the pirate lord began to shout obscene words at someone in the background.

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M ON THE PHONE! IT'S FUCKING RUDE__ TO INTERRUPT, OKAY?" _The sound of a gun shot rang in her ears, promptly followed by Vaas muttering something about people not being able to keep their mouths shut when he told them to.

"Where were we? Oh, yeah. I'll send some of these useless cocksuckers up there," he told her with a slight edge in his voice. He didn't sound too happy, so she decided not to push her luck with the pirate lord.

"We'll stay posted here until they arrive."

"Oh, hey, guess what? We're going to have a fucking party, so don't be too long, okay? I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun!" Eli cringed. A party? Really? Oh god. She made a noise of protest, intent on refusing the offer, but Vaas cut in.

"For fucksake, you're annoying, you know that? You're wound tighter than a spring! You know what, I'll do you a fucking favour, okay? When you get back, we'll head to my shanty and work some of that tension out, sound good?" Without allowing her time to reply, he continued on his tangent. "I expect to see you here with a fucking smile on your face. No bullshit, got it? Good. See you soon! Bye bye!" Eli pulled the phone from her ear, giving the device a dirty look that would turn any man to stone. Vaas thought she was the annoying one? Did he really not know how annoying _he _was?! Eli gave a groan, half tempted to through her phone at the tree from frustration. A party. Great. That's _just _what she needed.

"_Boom, baby!" _Lucas cackled madly into the comm piece, giving her a start. An earth shattering explosion followed; a thick pillar of black smoke curled up into the air, casting a dark veil in the sky.

The pirate reinforcements arrived shortly after; they began to fortify the walls, setting up patrols around the perimeter. Those who weren't standing guard, had the task of clearing away the bodies, putting them into the back of a truck to be dumped into a mass grave nearby. The burnt out vehicles had been pushed to one side, allowing them to come and go without obstruction. Eli and Charlie barked orders at the pirates, ordering them to set up a barrier on the roofs to allow the snipers some form of cover and to form a road block on one of the exits, bottle necking the road.

"We need to get some K9 units," Eli mused, watching the pirates moving around the compound, each busy with a task the mercenaries had assigned them. "It'll stop anyone sneaking in."

"Like we just did?" Charlie asked with a smirk. Eli chuckled.

"Pretty much."

"Let's go pick Sparky up and head back to base."

* * *

The trio stood in the heart of the compound, staring with disbelief at the sight before them. Music blared from the loudspeakers, echoing all across the camp; a modern dubstep song pulsating in the air. Bottles of beer chinked together loudly in celebration, mixing with the abundance of drugs flowing through the camp. A bonfire roared in the centre, bathing them in a glow of reds and golds, moving tantalizingly to the music. Eli's eye twitched at the crude poles propped up around the camp, women dancing with their limbs tangled around the pole, men shouting and whistling at them encouragingly.

"These guys sure know how to party," Lucas mused with raised brows, watching the pirates grind against the women that had been brought in especially for the occasion; prostitutes from Bad Town, no doubt. Eli cringed when Vaas made his way over to them, swaying from side to side in some weird, comical dance that reminded her of Jack Sparrow.

"Heeeeey, amigos!" He shouted loudly into her ear, words slurring. He slung his arm around her shoulder and leaned entirely into her, causing Eli to stumble. Charlie and Lucas stood beside her, quietly snickering among themselves.

"Vaas," she greeted with disdain, trying to pull her face away from his. "Is this... necessary?" Eli gestured to the party with a flick of her wrist. He laughed, taking another quick swig from his bottle.

"You need to loosen up, baby! This is my island, remember?" He grinned, leaning in close to stroke her face. "No one is fucking stupid enough to come in here, okay? So don't worry!" Vaas suddenly let out a loud 'whoop' when another song came on, one of his favourites, apparently.

"You want some candy?" Vaas asked, holding up a vibrant red pill. "They'll take you to the fucking moon and back!" Eli stared at the drug, swallowing thickly with temptation. She almost reached out and took it, only to stop, all too aware of her team mates standing behind her, watching the interaction closely.

"Uh, no, thank you..." Eli forced through gritted teeth, trying to wriggle away from his grip. The grin quickly faded from his face, replaced by a glare. The sudden shift in mood made her uncomfortable, as did the tightening grip on her shoulder.

"If you're gonna be here, you better play fucking ball, okay? I don't want no boring shit from you."

"I'm here to do a job, Vaas, not get high and drunk," she spat back in defense.

"You should! You look like a fucking tight ass!" He said loudly, inches from her ear, causing her to wince. Suddenly, he grabbed either side of her face, forcing her to look at him directly. He had that look in his eyes again and she felt the need to distance herself.

"When you're under my roof, you do as I fucking say, got it?" His voice no louder than a whisper, she could hear the threats just beneath the surface. Reluctantly, she nodded, sighing heavily through her nose. Vaas released his grip, grinning like a maniac. He beckoned over one his men, the two exchanged quiet words, before the man quickly left, re appearing moments later with uncapped bottles of beer; the man then took their gear, muttering something about putting it in their respective shacks. Vaas handed the red pill to Eli, who begrudgingly took it, she slid it discreetly into her pocket when the pirate lord looked away, flashing him a grin when he turned his attention back to her.

"How about we ditch these motherfuckers and go somewhere more quiet, hm?" He whispered huskily, slowly inching closer towards her, the heat from his body poured over her and she shuddered, taking a wide step back.

"Sorry, I'm about to stick a couple of pins in my eyes. Another time, maybe?" She ground out sarcastically, giving him a wide, sickly sweet grin. Vaas merely shrugged.

"It's only a matter of time, hermana. Why delay the inevitable?" Heat rose to her cheeks, flushing the skin a tomato red. From embarrassment of their audience or anger, she didn't know. Inwardly, she thanked the stars that no one would be able to see in the darkness.

"Anyway," Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly, taking Eli by the arm and pulling her back. "Thanks for the drinks!" He said politely, flashing Vaas a smile. "We're gonna go get something to eat." The others nodded in quick agreement, taking wide strides over to where a pirate stood behind a barbecue with sizzling slabs of meat cooking on the grill.

They let out a chorus of sighs, relieved to be away from the pirate lord. Eli wasn't sure if she found him more annoying drunk or sober. She pushed the pirate lord to the back of her mind, gratefully accepting the plate of food Lucas handed her. The trio sat themselves down in a quiet corner, enjoying their food and drinking the beer. After a while, they began to feel dizzy, a haze descending upon them. Eli shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the strange feeling creeping over her.

"Hey, you guys f-feel a little... funny...?" Lucas slurred awkwardly, tilting his head left and right with confusion. "H-holy fuck! I-is thatta giant pig on the fire?!" He exclaimed with wonder, pushing away from his seat, he stumbled over to a spit roast, watching with awe as the pig slowly rotated.

"Shit, it is!" Charlie gasped, following the techie. The pair crouched on the ground, mouths open, eyes fixated on the cooking swine.

"What's going on?" Her voice echoed all around her, fading in and out of focus. The world became distorted in a myriad of shapes and colours. She blinked hard, trying to pull reality back into focus. The camp fell away like bricks tumbling from a wall, replaced by water and tall, skyscraper mushrooms. Soft glowing orbs fell from the sky, moving around her in a ghostly dance.

"'Shrooms!" She said with childlike wonder, eyes wide with amazement, staring up at the invisible fungi looming over her. Eli laughed happily as she wandered through the camp, pushing through the cluster of pirates dancing around a wooden stage. She paused, the loud music pulsated all around her, rippling through the air in waves, caressing her skin. She couldn't stop herself, it was as if her body had a mind of its own. She swayed her hips, raising her hands into the air and shaking her head left and right to the beat of the music.

A warm presence enveloped her from behind, muscular arms circling around her waist, pulling her flush against a solid surface. She made no protest and continued to dance with the person behind her, moving as one. Eli danced for what felt like hours, her eyes glazed over in a far away mist, drowning in pure ecstasy. The smile never left her face for a moment. Sweat dripped from her brow, rolling across her skin and wetting her hair, but she didn't even notice. Her sole purpose in life only to move with the beat of the music.

The next morning, Eli awoke with a terrible headache. Her sweaty bangs clung to her ghostly pale face, hanging in her listless, dull eyes; red rimmed and bloodshot, stark against the dark bruises beneath them. She cleared her throat, cringing when a raw sensation clawed at the inside, scratchy and sore. Eli pinched bridge of her nose, she took in deep, steady breaths to calm the nausea tipping back and forth in her knotted stomach.

The shafts of light creeping through the metal grates stung her eyes and she hissed, turning away from the glare with a new found hatred. She flopped back onto her bed, arm draped over her face, brows knitted together with pain. Eli suddenly gasped, shooting bolt upright, cringing when her head began to spin. She glanced around her shanty with alarm, sweeping her gaze over every item in the room.

_What happened last night?__!_

* * *

_What _indeed. ;) Not much Vaas in this one, I know, but he'll be in the next chapter, I promise~_** Let me know what you think**_! I'm very open to constructive criticism and suggestions! I do love to bounce ideas around and have a good chat! :)

**Don't forget to check the link on my profile if you want to see the picture of Vaas and Eli I drew!**


	10. Chapter 10

Yay, we've reached fifty reviews and beyond! Thank you so much, everyone! :)** Nix (50th reviewer) if you could contact me, that would be great. If not, then I'll pass it over onto the 51st.**

Thank you to those who added me to favorites and reviewed: mmo100, VaasFan, KelseyParryMP, Lily, Nix, The Lady Artificer and SickMonkey89! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think! It's the motivation I need to keep me going!

I can't believe I even made it to chapter ten! It's all down to you guys, so thank you!

Big thanks to Black-fl0wer for helping me as always. She is such a star! I love her!

By the way, if you missed it in the last chapter: I drew a picture of Vaas and Eli, which you can see on my profile if you're interested!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

Warning: This chapter contains violence, swearing and a lot of Vaas goodness. ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

Bare feet padded against the wooden floor, drawing erratic patterns, wearing down the grain. Eli marched up and down, frantically pulling at her hair, desperately trying to recall last nights events. Her brows creased, teeth ground together with stress; she couldn't sit still for a moment. A whirlwind of chaos tore through her mind, tossing every rational thought and passiveness around in a dizzying circle, floating just beyond her reach.

_What happened? _She asked herself over and over, but the answers never came. A darkness shrouded her memories, concealing them from her minds eye. She swore under her breath, hitting her forehead with her hand repeatedly in an attempt to knock some sense into herself.

"Okay, okay, calm down," she breathed heavily, coming to an abrupt halt, she forced herself to take in deep, steady breaths to camp the frantic hammering of her heart.

"Get dressed then go talk to Sparky and Doc, maybe they know." Eli nodded at her own words, agreeing with the plan of action, she moved over to her bag, pulling out a fresh bundle of clothes; pausing when she caught sight of two bruises on both of her wrists and her knuckles a raw red.

"What the?" She frowned, unsettled by the marks. A myriad of grim scenarios began to play out through her mind in a blurring speed, turning around in a mad circle, assault her already throbbing brain. Eli turned her head, sweeping her wide eyes over every patch of skin she could see, cringing when she spotted two more bruises on her shoulders, the fading marks of fingers and palms.

Oh god.

Eli scrambled around the room in search of her satellite phone; she jabbed the number pad, waiting impatiently for the receiver to pick up.

"_Yeah...?" _A hoarse voice croaked, thick with fatigue.

"Charlie!" Eli whispered quickly. "Can you come to my room? It's _urgent!_" Charlie groaned.

"Now?"

"Yes! Right now!" She spat heatedly, her patience all but gone. She had no time to pussy foot around the groggy medic. "And don't tell Lucas!" She added quickly before hanging up. Eli paced the room, awaiting Docs arrival. When he finally knocked, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Come in!" She called quietly. Charlie shuffled into the room, pausing, eyes growing wide at the sight of Eli in her underwear.

"Is it my birthday?" He asked stupidly, eyes raking over her sports bra and shorts. Not exactly sexy lingerie, but hey, he wasn't one to be fussy. Eli frowned, shooting him a deathly cold look; he quickly averted his eyes, clearing his throat awkwardly. His buttoned camo shirt was askew, wrinkled and tucked into his wonky cargo pants in a hurry; hair flying in every direction. He had just rolled out of bed and thrown on the nearest clothes, no time to straighten himself out in the professional manner he usually portrayed.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she ground out. "Will you shut the bloody door before anyone else sees?!" Doc seemed to snap out of his embarrassment, shutting the door with a quiet whine, he made his way into the room, hands in his pockets.

"So..." he trailed off, flashing her a look. "What did you want?" Eli moved over to her bed, sitting precariously on the edge, fingers digging into the sheets.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" Charlie frowned, brows pulling together when he tried to recall the events from the night before.

"Shit," he swore with worry; the room became suddenly hot, he pulled rolled up his sleeves and pulled at his collar to relief the cold sweat creeping over him. "I don't remember anything after we sat down to eat. Do you?" Eli shook her head profusely, her loose locks flying around her in a flurry.

"No," she swallowed thickly, pushing away the lump of nerves clustering in the back of her throat. "Which is why I asked you to come in here." Eli stood, turning around, she brushed her messy braid away from her shoulders.

"I found bruises on her wrists and shoulders," Eli muttered quietly. "Can you, uh, see any more?" Her skin flushed an awkward red; she fidgeted, shuffling her feet and toying with her hands with embarrassment. Charlie moved behind her, gently prodding and poking the skin on her shoulders and back, glancing over the small battle scars covering the skin.

"Looks like hand prints..." he trailed off, eyes moving over the rest of her. "I can't see any more besides the ones you pointed out," Eli let out a sigh of relief. Charlie rose a brow.

"You're worried someone took advantage?" Eli nodded with a frown. "Any idea who?"

"Just one."

* * *

Eli stomped out of her room, fully dressed and with a face like thunder. She pounded against the shanty door, ignoring the curious looks Charlie gave as he skirted around her, disappearing into his own room once more. Eli grit her teeth when she received no answer and pushed the door open none too gently. She stormed in, ready to unleash her pent up anger upon the pirate lord only to stop short, staring with bewilderment at the man sprawled across the bed.

Vaas was dead to the world and much to her annoyance, _naked_. His leg hung over the edge of the bed, tangled in the thin sheets draped dangerously across his lower half, giving her a glance of the V lines leading down to the pubic area. His bare, toned chest steadily rose and fell; his face held no anger or frustration, he looked almost sweet. Eli scowled, mentally berating herself for being so easily distracted.

_Focus, focus! You're here to rip his head off not think about how normal he looks when he's asleep. _Still, one could easily confuse Vaas for an ordinary man by glancing at the peaceful expression he wore when he slept. Bolstering her resolve with a inward pep talk, she strode forward, standing over the sleeping pirate lord, burning holes into his face. Eli cleared her throat, followed by a loud stomp of her foot, but Vaas didn't even stir.

"Vaas," Eli hissed through gritted teeth. She clenched her fists, shaking from the anger quickly rising. "Vaas!" She leaned over, gripping his shoulders, nails digging into his skin and shook him. Eli yelped with surprise when she was suddenly flipped over onto the bed, hands held above her head, pinned beneath Vaas, who pressed against her body, glaring menacingly into her shocked eyes.

"What the hell do you want?!" He spat angrily. "Are you trying fucking to kill me, huh?" Vaas lowered himself until his nose brushed against hers, his eyes piercing her own. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Or did you come in here for seconds?" Eli's eyes flew open at his words, she flipped the pirate lord over, reversing their position until she straddled his waist, holdings his arms above his head, legs pinned beneath her own.

"You want to be on top? Feisty, I fucking like that," he grinned, tongue flicking across his lips.

"What do you mean by 'seconds'?" Eli growled venomously, teeth grinding together at the amused look on the pirate lords face. The temptation to punch his stupid, grinning face almost overwhelmed her, but she forced it away. Vaas laughed, tickled by the evil look she gave him.

"You don't remember, do you?" He laughed loudly. "Shit, hermana, you're a fucking devil in disguise. But you know, you're _real _good with those hands of yours," he winked, puckering his lips in a mock of a kiss. The colour drained from her face, leaving her whiter than a ghost. She looked away from Vaas, staring with wide eyes at the wall, giving the pirate lord the opportunity to flip her back over.

"Like I said last night, I prefer to be on top, in control," he whispered huskily, his nose brushing along her jaw line, breathing in her scent. "And you fucking loved it! You screamed and moaned, begging me like a fucking dog for more!" Vaas grinned devilishly, pulling back, he hovered over her.

"Since you don't remember the magic from last night, why don't we refresh your memory, huh? It'd be a fucking shame to waste this beautiful opportunity!" Eli snarled, writhing beneath him; painfully aware that the pirate lord was naked on top of her.

"Ah ah! Don't fucking move, okay? Or you'll give me a hard on," he warned, flashing her a wolfish grin. "Unless, that's what you want? Hm?"

"Get. Off!" She spat through gritted teeth.

"Not until you learn some manners, okay? Until then, I think I'll just sit here. It's comfy!" The pirate lord said, lowering himself until his body pressed against hers, head against her chest; Vaas grinned when he heard the rapid beating of her heart hammering against her chest.

"I can hear your heart beating," he whispered softly, with a hint of a smirk. "It's going wild," Eli inwardly cringed, taking deep breathes in hopes of calming the strong thrum of her heart. She was _not _excited. She was pissed off beyond reason!

"Are you excited, hermana? Do you want me to fuck you, huh? Make you beg for more?" He flashed her a Cheshire cat smile, enjoying the moment far too much than what should be legal. Vaas's eyes ignited with fire when something cold pressed against his throat, an electrical excitement shot up his spine, stirring the energy within him. He pushed himself up until he leaned over her, eyes dancing with wicked glee when he glanced down at the knife, grinning manically; Vaas laughed.

"Are you going to kill me, hermana? Slit my fucking throat, huh? Well what are you waiting for? Do it!" He goaded, voice a dark whisper. "Go on, fucking do it! I _dare_ you!" Eli stared up at him, brows pulled together with confusion. The blade pressed dangerously into his skin, drawing a small droplet of red from the tip, it dripped, falling onto her cheek. Vaas leaned down, tongue flicking from his mouth, he dragged it along her cheek, licking the small blotch of blood, grinning like a manic as he did so.

"You taste so fucking good," he whispered seductively. His hot breath poured over her face, hovering dangerously close to her lips; Eli snapped into action, she flipped back ontop of the pirate lord, knife still at his throat. With one last glare, she quickly got off of him, taking a step away from the bed.

"Did you spike our fucking drinks last night?" She snapped, teeth flashing in a feral snarl. Vaas reclined in his bed, arms propped up behind his head, he shrugged, uncaring that he was _almost_ fully exposing himself.

"How the fuck should I know? I didn't give you those drinks." Eli scowled. Oh, he was going to play it coy?

"So I guess you playing Chinese whispers with the pirate beforehand had NOTHING to do with it?" The pirate lord sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

"Unless you're going to fuck me, I suggest you piss off, okay? It's too earlier for this shit," he grunted with annoyance, still tired from last nights festivities. Eli's eye twitched with annoyance, she ground her teeth together and gave a frustrated growl.

"This discussion isn't over, Vaas!" She seethed, pivoting on her heel, she stomped out of the room, door slamming shut behind her.

_Today is going to be so much fucking fun. _He inwardly grinned, eyes dancing with excitement.

Oh yes.

* * *

"Is it just me or do you feel like you've got a hang over?" Lucas whispered softly, his voice hoarse, throat raw. Charlie nodded in answer to his question.

"I only had one beer!"

"Me too," the medic cringed, voice cracking painfully. "I think our drinks were spiked."

"Aw, man," Lucas whined, sitting up in his bed, head in his hands. "All I remember is eating, then some giant pig." The medic chuckled.

"Yeah, me too." Both men looked up at the sound of their door swinging open, hitting the wall with a bang, causing both men to wince. Eli stood in the threshold, chest heaving, nostrils flared; the intensity of her green eyes forced the male mercs to look away, fixated on the floor.

"Uh, good mornin', E," Lucas dared to say, flashing her a cautious grin. "Sleep well?"

"There's nothing _good _about it!" She snapped irritably. "That _**ASSHOLE**_ spiked our drinks!" Eli spat, making sure that the pirate lord heard her insult. The sound of a muffled laugh followed, serving to infuriate her even more.

"Yeah, we were just discussing that. Do you remember what happened last night?" The techie questioned quietly.

"No." Lucas sighed, flopping back down onto his mattress. A heavy weight fell onto her shoulders, slowly pressing the life out of her. Eli tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling, she ran a hand down the side of her face, pinching at the skin.

"Not wearing your tags today?" Charlie commented, neatly folding his bed sheets; dressed in a more refine manner this time with his wrinkle free camo fatigues and polished boots. Eli's head snapped forward, brows furrowing with confusion, she reached down to where her tags usually sat, fingers touching nothing but her skin. A bolt of panic shot through her and she left the room, rushing back to her own shanty to frantically search for them.

"Where are you?!" She snapped frantically, tearing her shanty apart in a whirlwind of chaos, looking in every nook and cranny for her tags.

"Dude, are you okay?" Lucas asked from the door, watching her rushing around the room, throwing her belongings around. The techie ducked when a boot came flying in his direction, hitting an unsuspecting Charlie in the chest when he passed.

"Watch it!"

"I think Eli's gone mad!" Lucas whispered discreetly, mimicking the call of a coo coo bird.

"I can fucking hear you, dipshit!" She seethed angrily, shooting the techie an evil glare. "Don't you two have anything better to do?!" Lucas shrugged.

"Not really-"

"Oh, well, if you're not busy, why don't you go check on the status of the outpost, hm? Since you've got nothing else to do but bother me!" The techie groaned.

"Now?"

"Yes, Lucas, NOW!" She barked with authority. "Go get geared up and piss off. The sight of your face is giving me a headache." Lucas rolled his eyes, huffing with annoyance, the techie left the room to gather his belongings.

"What?!" She spat with irritation when the medic remained, giving her a concerned look. One she deeply resented.

"Are you okay?" Eli sucked in a deep breath, willing the murderous rage away. She turned to Charlie, eyes narrowed.

"If you value your life, I suggest you leave me alone, okay?" She ground out slowly, fists clenching tightly in her lap. Charlie nodded in understanding and left to join Lucas. Eli sat on the floor of her shanty, hunched over with her head in her hands. What the fuck had happened last night and where were her tags? She wanted to scream her lungs out until they burned, punch someone until her knuckles bled.

She had lost her tags! And worst all, Sunny's!

"_Lost my fucking tags, hm? Oh, tsk tsk, E! I thought you'd take better care of 'em than that!" _Eli jolted at the sound of a voice, staring all around her with alarm. The voice echoed from every direction, fading in and out of focus.

"I didn't lose them!" She muttered on a breath. Who was she even talking to? Fuck! She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the voice away. It sounded painfully familiar, almost like Sunny. How was that possible though? He was dead!

"_Get up!" _A voice whispered into her ear; Eli jumped with surprise, turning her head sharply to the side. No one. Just her fucked up imagination playing cruel tricks on her. Great, that's all she needed.

_Fuck! _Her fist slammed against the floor several times until the skin began to bruise. The pain shooting through her hand drew her attention away from the fucking shit storm brewing inside of her for a few brief moments and she sighed, rocking back and forth whispering calm, comforting words to herself.

"Do you realise how fucking insane you look right now?" A voice piped up from the door, one that sent a thousand burning hot needles into her brain, igniting an irrational hate inside of her. Eli slowly lifted her head, turning towards the speaker, giving him a glare that would freeze a man's heart.

Vaas leaned against the door, a crooked smile on his face. He glanced around the room, tutting with disappointment. "Your room is a dump. You should take better care of your shit."

"What do you want?" The pirate lord shrugged nonchalantly.

"From you? Nothing. I already got what I wanted last night," Vaas provoked with a devilish smirk. Eli quickly got to her feet, closing the space between them. She stood in front of him, fists clenched, jaw tight.

"Even if I was unconscious or dead, there's no way I would fuck you, okay? So stop bloody saying that we did!" The pirate lord chuckled, entertained by her words, he just couldn't stop grinning when this woman was around.

_He knows, god damn it! _

"What happened last night? Tell me!" Eli demanded, standing toe to toe with the pirate. He stared down at her, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Beg,"

"What?" Eli baulked, brows raised in confusion.

"Are you fucking deaf? I said beg! Beg like a fucking dog. Get on your hands and knees and beg, hermana!"

"Fuck you!" Vaas smirked, giving her a sly wink.

"You did that last night, remember? Oh, wait, you don't!" He laughed wickedly. Eli gave a feral growl, eyes wild, teeth flashing; she pitched forward, fist flying towards Vaas, connecting hard with his cheek. The pirate lord grunted, stumbling back from the unexpected outburst, falling hard onto his ass. Eli stood over him, shoulders trembling with fury, staring unwavering into the demonic glare he gave her.

Vaas didn't miss a beat. He swiftly stood, closing the space between them, his body knocked into hers, sending them both to the floor with a thud. The pirate lord loomed over her, a menacing smile on his face, he reached down, fingers curling around her windpipe, shutting off the air to a thin trickle. Eli grasped at his wrists, nails sinking sharply into his skin, desperately trying to pry his iron grip away from her.

"What's wrong, hermana? I thought you liked it rough!" Vaas laughed with amusement, watching her writhe around with wicked glee. He could feel her pulse beneath his finger tips, throbbing wildly from her rapid heart. The pirate lord leaned down, pinning her flush against the floor with his own weight, his lips crashed onto hers, smothering her mouth with his own; his tongue flicked out from his mouth, taking in the sweet taste of her lips. Vaas abruptly pulled back with a deranged laugh.

"You're so fucking fiery!" Blood coated his bottom lip in a sanguine red, dripping down his chin and onto his pants. "I like that. I really fucking like that, hermana," Vaas reluctantly released his grip, allowing Eli to suck in the much needed air. She sputtered and coughed, taking in desperate, raspy breathes to fill her burning lungs. Vaas remained straddling her waist, watching her like a predator with it's prey caught beneath it's paw. Once Eli had regained control of her lungs, she stared up at Vaas, giving him a vicious glare.

"Oh, you're fucking welcome!" He said, leaning down closer, his necklaces dangling in her face. "I would have killed any other shithead for less! You can thank me later, you know, for being so fucking generous," the pirate lord wiped his bottom lip with his thumb and grinned, sucking the blood from his digit, he flashed her a wink. Eli scowled, wiping his blood from her mouth with disgust. Now that the pirate lord wasn't crushing her windpipe, she was able to pull her pistol from its holster.

"Get off of me before I blow your bloody nuts off!" Eli seethed angrily, her pistol pointing at his family jewels. Vaas glanced down at her gun, brows raised in amusement.

"Are you sure wanna fucking do that, hermana? I mean, I'm not going to be the only one to miss them!" He taunted, grinning from ear to ear. Eli let out a strangled yelp, distorted from the rawness of her throat; she bucked her hips violently, throwing the pirate lord off balance and to the floor. Eli swiftly stood, holstering her pistol, she shot the pirate lord a look of disdain, watching him lay on the floor casually, chuckling like a fucking child.

"You should be nicer to me, hermana. How else are you going to find your shitty tags?" Eli froze, eyes widening at his words.

"You know where they are?" She asked, hopeful, yet with a sense of dread pitting in her stomach. When Vaas was involved, things were never easy.

Vaas dusted himself off when he got to his feet. He tilted his head left and right, sighing with satisfaction when the joint gave an audible pop.

"Maybe," he said vaguely. "What do I get out of it if I tell you, huh?"

"You are the most irritating man I have ever met, you know that?" She spat angrily. "Just tell me where my bloody tags are!"

"Ah, ah, ah! What's the magic fucking words, hermana?" Vaas teased, wagging his finger back and forth. Eli scrunched up her face with annoyance, a deep frown pulling at her lips.

"You can stop right there. I refuse to beg!"

"See, I like that. No fucking compromise! I'll give you a hint, okay? One of my men mentioned something about you playing poker last night." The colour drained from her cheeks at his words. Oh god, not poker! Of course she had to play the _one _card game she could never win at. Damn it!

"Apparently you're a shitty loser too," he added with a wolfish grin. The pirate lord made towards the door. "Have fun finding your fuckings tags, hermana!" He called over his shoulder, disappearing from her sight.

_That son of a bitch! _She screamed inwardly, broiling with anger. Darkness closed around her when she slammed the door shut with a rough kick of her boot. She paced up and down the room with her head in her hands, shaking from pent up fury. Eli abruptly stopped, falling hard onto her knees, she sat in the middle of the room, hunched over, staring holes into the grain of wood beneath her, desperately trying to piece her memories together. She could feel herself becoming increasingly unstable from the stress. It was almost laughable how such a silly thing like dogtags could push someone so close to the edge that they could barely string a coherent thought together.

"_What the fuck is wrong with you?" _Eli's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice; she swiftly got to her feet, turning in a dizzying circle to find the speaker.

"_You're getting bent outta shape!" _Something in the corner of her eye moved and she spun, staring with wide eyes at the dark corner of her shanty. Nothing.

"Stop it stop it stop it!" She whispered desperately, hiding her face in her hands, she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the voice away.

"_It's okay to cry, you know. I promise not to tell anyone that you're a fucking pussy!" _

"Leave me alone!" She snapped, eyes fluttering open; Eli stumbled back with surprise, landing hard on her backside when the face of Sunny appeared in front of her. When she blinked, he was gone. Panic shot through her like a bolt of lightning, bringing a cold sweat across her skin in waves. Eli got onto her knees, crawling like a pathetic animal towards her bag, desperate for release. Her shaking fingers fumbled with the hidden tab, frustration quickly building when she couldn't grip with her sweaty digits.

Eli snatched the plastic baggy, wasting no time in tearing it open, she deposited the pills into her hand before throwing back her head, swallowing them. Eli gave a heavy sigh, sitting dangerously on the verge of hysteria, she waited for the drugs to kick in, sitting on the lonely floor of her shanty, staring at nothing.

The drugs soon began take hold, giving her a pleasant buzz, lifting her mood. She could feel the energy pulsing through her veins, pulling her back to reality and sharpening her senses. She could still sense an unsettling anger just beneath the surface, barely contained by the effects of the drugs. Eli waited for a few moments before leaving the shanty and making her way down the incline into the camp.

The pirates meandering around greeted her with a nod of their head, flashing her unsettling grins. They knew. And that infuriated her beyond reason. Eli hated not knowing. The sly smirks and taunting words from the pirate lord only served to stoke the pyre of fear even more. Every time she turned to glance over her shoulder, there he was, leaning casually against a shanty, watching her march around the camp, desperately searching for her lost memories and dogtags. He would laugh, grinning with wicked delight, enjoying the despair so apparent on her stricken face. She took in a deep, shaky breath to calm her inner storm; her hand pressed against the side of a building, keeping her from falling to the floor in a trembling heap. Eli ran a hand through her hair, grabbing a fistful of the tresses, she firmly pulled; pain began to throb in her scalp, forcing her mind to focus on that instead of overwhelming urge to run her knife through the nearest pirate.

_Calm down. Calm down. _Eli told herself repeatedly. She stood on the precipice, swaying dangerously towards chaos. She had to hold herself back, regain control of her emotions and unsteady mind; she couldn't afford to mess up a mission over something so frivolous.

_Get a grip. Take control. _

Pushing away from her support, she continued on until she spotted a man seated alone at an old table, quietly reading a worn, tattered book. Eli quirked a brow, tilting her head to read the title across the spine; she twitched a smile at the familiar gold embossed letters of 'The Hobbit'. She cautiously approached the man, clearing her throat to make her presence known. The man turned, startled when he saw her standing there.

"Hey," she greeted, forcing a polite smile upon her lips. "Can I talk to you for a second?" The man quickly nodded and Eli sat down beside him, frowning when he began to edge away from her.

"So, uh, last night, I don't suppose you remember what I was doing?" The pirate swallowed thickly, looking everywhere but her.

"I-last time I checked, you were playing poker with a couple of the guys," he told her, voice audibly pitching with nerves. "You started ranting and raving about him cheating and you flipped the table, starting beating the shit out of him," Eli's brows rose at his words.

"Took four of us to pull you off the guy!" Well, that certainly explained the bruises on her body and her raw knuckles. Still, it left so many questions unanswered. Where were her tags? Did she _really _have sex with Vaas last night? She inwardly cringed, hoping to hell that she hadn't.

"What did I bet?" She asked with a sense of dread, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it from him.

"Some tags, I think." The pirate jumped in alarm when Eli slammed her fist onto the table, knocking over his bottle of beer, spilling the liquid onto the wooden table and dripping to the floor.

Snapshots of the night before flashed through her mind with a burst of light, spinning around her in a chaotic circle, showing only a mere glimpse of the memory. Images of pirates dancing came to life, followed by the sound of music pulsating from an unseen speaker. She remembered dancing, swaying to the hypnotic song for hours. There was someone else there with her, arms encircled around her waist. But who?

Eli scrunched up her features with deep concentration, desperately trying to pull the memories from the darkness. The blurry face slowly came into focus and she cringed upon seeing who it was. The memory slammed into her brain, playing out with vivid clarity and colour before her. She had danced for hours, grinding up against someone, of all people, Vaas, rubbing up and down against him like a fucking cat in heat. Vaas. Of course she had to of been dancing with Vaas. God damn it!

The scene quickly changed and she remembered staring down at a hand full of cards, glancing over them at another pirate. She couldn't make out the words spoken, for they were muffled, fading in and out of focus; the table suddenly flipped, sending the contents to the floor in a flurry. She launched herself forward, fist slamming into the man's face repeatedly. Eli snapped back into reality, realization quickly dawning upon her. A sudden guilt washed through her and she wanted to puke. She had bet Sunny's tags. What kind of sick person bets trinkets of their dead friends?

"Fuck!" She swore quietly, running a hand through her bangs. "Where is he? The guy I played with?"

"He's, uh, at the docks," he replied awkwardly, perturbed by the darkness creeping over her features. God help the man when she found him.

"Thanks," she said quickly before pushing up from her chair, making quick strides towards the docks. She peered around the corner of a shanty, eyes sweeping over the faces of different pirates shuffling around the docks. When she caught sight of one with a bloody and bruised face, she smirked.

"Hey!" Eli called loudly, gaining the pirates attention; his eyes widened at the sight of her and he pulled out his pistol, holding it threateningly in front of him.

"Stay back you crazy bitch!" He spat fiercely. The one eye that wasn't black and swollen, narrowed, giving her a glare. His left cheek black and blue, puffy with a small cut along his jaw and on his lips. "I said stay back!" Eli scowled, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Put the gun down before you hurt yourself," she sighed with exasperation. "Just give me my tags back and I'll leave you alone, okay?" She forced a smile for added effect, twitching slightly from the adrenalin coursing through her veins. The pirate scoffed, spitting on the floor, narrowly missing her boots.

"I don't fucking have 'em!" The smile instantly fell, replaced by a stony mask of vexation. Her eye began to twitch, fists clenching tighter, she clamped her teeth together.

"What do you mean?" She said through gritted teeth. "Where are they?" The man merely shrugged, sniffing loudly, he tightened the grip on his pistol.

"How should I know?"

"You have five seconds to tell me, or I swear I will beat your fucking head in. Again!" She threatened darkly, taking a step forward until the gun pressed against her chest.

"One," she began to count, calm and impassive.

"Two,"

"Three," the two stared at one another, unwavering, neither willing to back down.

"Four," Eli grabbed the man's wrist with one hand, giving it a sharp twist until it snapped; he cried out in agony, dropping the gun to the floor. She pulled the pirate's arm out at length, using her other to strike the back of his elbow, popping the joint out of it's socket.

"Fuck!" He shouted, staring at his twisted limb. "You fucking bitch!" Eli lunged at the pirate, pinning him to the floor. She loomed over writhing pirate, knee pressing painfully into his oesophagus.

"Where?" She whispered deathly cold, staring daggers into the man's eyes. "WHERE?" Eli raised her fist, ready to pummel the man into a bloody pulp.

"Okay, okay! Fucksake!" He sighed with relief when she began to pull away. "Vaas took 'em," he admitted, giving her a scowl. Eli stared down at the man with disbelief.

"Vaas has them?" She repeated. The pirate nodded. "Since when?!" Her voice gradually rose to a shout, pitching into a shriek. That sneaky son of a bitch!

"He came by and took them not long ago! Told me not to tell you!" Eli growled, causing the man to flinch. She launched her fist forward, punching the man in the side of his head, knocking him out with a single blow. She stood from his body, staring down at him with disgust.

"That's for cheating, you piece of shit!" She spat venomously. The sound of clapping touched her ears and she turned, glaring daggers at the amused face of Vaas, who leaned casually against a wooden pillar, applauding her little show.

"Bravo, hermana, bravo!" He said with a wicked grin. Something inside of Eli snapped at the sound of his voice. She broke into a run; body slamming into his, sending them both tumbling to the floor. The pair began to wrestle violently, rolling around in the dirt, vying for dominance. Her head snapped back, a burning sensation spreading like a wild fire through her cheek where Vaas had punched her. She retaliated, slamming her forehead into the pirate lords, knocking his head back with a grunt.

"I fucking hate you!" Eli said with a deranged growl, punching him in the gut. Vaas laughed in return, back handing her hard across the face.

"Come on, hermana! Hit me! Hit me!" He shouted madly, kneeing her in the gut; she sputtered and coughed, growling with frustration. A crowd had begun to gather, watching the pair rolling around like two rapid dogs fighting over a bone. The pirates goaded them on, whistling and shouting for them to kill one another.

"Is that the best you've got?!" Vaas shouted excitedly after he had successfully pinned her beneath him. "We keep ending up like this, hermana, people are going to start talking," he grinned, licking the blood from the corner of her mouth, sighing with satisfaction. Red dripped down from the fresh cut on the bridge of his nose and his cheek, coating his face in a stream. Using one hand to pin her arms down, Vaas reached behind him, pulling something from his pocket; he dangled the items over her face tauntingly, grinning from ear to ear. Eli struggled against his hold, thrashing her legs wildly.

"Shhhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. Just calm down, hermana! I'd hate to put a fucking bullet in that pretty little head of yours!"

"Give them back!" She spat viciously, a hoarse growl tangled in her words.

"If you don't fucking co operate, I'm going to throw these into the ocean, okay?" He threatened, swinging the tags from side to side. Eli scowled up at the pirate lord, burning a hole into that god damn grinning face of his. She hated him more than anything in that moment and would give so much to stab him in the neck, ending his tyranny of annoyance. Sucking in a deep, calming breath, Eli relented, giving a reluctant nod. He laughed loudly.

"You're fucking_ crazy_, you know that?" Vaas stared down at her with a grin, eyes wandering over the cut on her cheek; the skin began to tint black and blue, gradually swelling in size.

"Get off," she spat angrily. "I've had enough of this stupid game!"

"Oh, you've had enough? That's too fucking bad, hermana! I'm having too much fun to stop now!" Eli fell slack in his grasp, head thudding against the floor with defeat. She closed her eyes, willing her mind anywhere else.

"Just give me the damn tags back, _please?" _She muttered quietly, teeth clamped together. Vaas cocked his head to the side, watching her curiously; he grinned widely, eyes dancing with mischief. He stared into her retracted pupils, amused by the fact the little merc was _high. _On what, he wondered. He pushed it to a side, a matter to explore at another time. For now, he had more important things to think on.

"Okay, okay, I'll make a fucking deal with you," he suggested, leaning down, he brushed the sweaty bangs from her face, callous fingers caressing her skin. "You do something for me, without a fucking hissy fit, and I'll give you the tags, okay? Sounds fair, right?" Eli frowned, eyeing the pirate lord suspiciously.

"It depends what that _something _is."

"Oh, hermana, you've got such a dirty mind, you know that?" He teased. "How about a blow job?"

"No."

"Fine, fine. A handjob?"

"No!" Vaas groaned with annoyance. He sat back on her hips, running a hand through his Mohawk; suddenly becoming aware of their audience, he scowled.

"Hey, if you fuckers haven't got anything better to do, why don't you go check on the fucking product instead of standing their with your cocks out!" He barked authoritatively, snapping the pirates to attention. They scurried around, picking up their belongings before disappearing from the pirate lords sight.

"Right, where were we? Ah, yeah. So, you were going to give me a blow job!"

"No, I was not! God damn it, I wouldn't even touch you if my life depended on it!" Vaas rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about her being a dramatic, lying bitch.

"And don't give me that bullshit about us having sex last night, okay? I _don't _believe you!" She spat heatedly. Vaas rose a brow, a cocky smirk pulling at his lips.

"If you really fucking believe that, then why do you keep bringing it up, hm?" He purred seductively, leaning back down until he hovered dangerously close to her face.

"Well? Did we? Huh?! Just fucking tell me or leave me alone! I am sick of looking at your god damn face all the time. You're such an annoying asshole!"

"Do you want your fucking tags back or not?!" Vaas shouted loudly in her face, his patience began to wear thin with her pissy attitude. Eli immediately clamped her mouth shut, huffing like a petulant child.

"That's better, geez! Now, listen, if you want these stupid, shitty tags back, all you have to do is call me 'Master' for the next two weeks and do what I say, okay? Simple enough for you?" Eli stared at him incredulously, tilting her head to the side with uncertainty. He wanted her to address him as 'Master'? Really? How fucking stupid was that? Eli inwardly groaned, conjuring up a hundred different embarrassing scenarios where the pirate lord would force her to call him by the obnoxious title.

"Don't worry, hermana, I won't force you to fuck me. Unless you want to, of course," he added with a grin. Eli snapped out of her daze when Vaas began to wipe the blood from his face with his shirt, flashing her his toned stomach. Once he had cleaned his own, he bent down, gently rubbing the blood from Eli's face, grinning as he did so.

"There, better! What do you say?"

"Thank you," she ground out.

"Thank you, what?" He said expectantly, cupping his ear close to her face.

"Thank you_ Master!_" Vaas chuckled.

"Good girl."

"Can you please get off of me? You're crushing my lungs!" The pirate lord sighed, reluctantly getting up from his seat on her waist. Eli eyed the him suspiciously when he offered her his hand.

"Are you going to take it or not?" He snapped impatiently with a scowl. Eli rolled her eyes, slapping her hand into his; the pirate lord pulled her onto her feet with ease and ruffled her hair.

"There, see? isn't it so much better when you do as you're fucking told?" When she remained silent, Vaas sighed. "The silent treatment, hm? Man, you're so fucking pissy, hermana. Is it shark week? Is that it?" The pirate lord snatched her hand, depositing the dogtags into her palm none too gently.

"Where's Sunny's?" She snapped, staring at her own tags with disappointment. Vaas chuckled.

"Did you really think it would be that easy, huh?" He grinned devilishly. "I already told you, hermana: you do what I say, without a fuss, you can have them back at the end of two weeks, okay?" Eli clenched her fist around the tags, knuckles turning white; she shot the pirate lord a glare when he pulled Sunny's tags over his head and round his neck.

"Fucking smile, okay? I just did you a favour and you don't even thank me? Man, you're a miserable little bitch," he huffed with annoyance. The game wasn't any fun when she refused to play along. "Alright, alright, geez! We didn't fuck, okay? Now piss off, you're getting on my last nerve!" He spat heatedly, shooting her a glare.

Eli blinked repeatedly, staring at Vaas's back as he stomped into the camp, disappearing from her sight. Eli grinned from ear to ear, an immense weight had been lifted off of her shoulders; she started to laugh hysterically, holding her sides, she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. They didn't have sex. It was all just a sick joke from Vaas! She wasn't sure if she should be happy, or pissed with the pirate lord. Either way, she was relieved.

But then why did she feel a little bit disappointed?

* * *

Finally, they kissed. Albeit a forced, bloody one, BUT IT STILL COUNTS. RIGHT? I know you're all probably wanting a bit more Vaas and Eli action, but please keep in mind that it's only been a few _days _since they arrived. I do not want to rush things. That being said though, we're going to have a little time skip in the next chapter!

On a side note: I had far too much fun writing Vaas tormenting her, haha. Poor Eli.

Lemme know what you think! I love reviews and I reply to each of them if I can! I'm very open to suggestions and constructive criticism. I always want to better myself. :)

This chapter was over 7058 words! I think that's the longest one yet! I'm starting to fall a bit behind now. I haven't finished chapter eleven, ah! Pressure! I need to get a few chapters written soon, since April is going to be a busy month for me.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sorry this one is a little late. I was very distracted. I re wrote parts of this one a few times and it was frustrating me.

_By the way, I've been drawing fan art for Vaas. If you're interested, the links are on my profile. There's a shirtless one on there, which I'm sure you'll enjoy! :D _

A big thank you to those who reviewed! I am chuffed that you guys enjoyed the previous chapter: **The Lady Artificer. SickMonkey89. KelseyParryMP. Peppermintcookz. Lily. VaasFan. BBoop. TroubleDrive. ForTheWicked0127**. I appreciate you guys taking the time to tell me what you think!

Since I can't personally thank the guest reviewers, I'll leave that here:

**Lily:** Thank you for your frequent reviews! :)

**VaasFan**: I hope this week is a little better for you. I'm glad I could help cheer you up a little last week! =)

**BBoop:** Writing their banter is my favorite part! I just love Charlie and Lucas. Haha, yeah, who wouldn't want to roll around in bed with Vaas? ;)

A big thank you to Black-fl0wer for helping me, as always. She's such a fantastic lady!

I am a little unsure of this chapter (which is why it took so long to edit and post) so lemme know what you think.

By the way, in case anyone was wondering: Eli's name is pronounced - _**(E-ly)**_. :)

Off we go!

* * *

Seven days, a hundred and sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes and six hundred and forty-eight thousand seconds had passed since Eli had agreed to Vaas's arrangement. After spending the past few days running willy nilly for the pirate lord, tending to his every beck and call, performing degrading, menial tasks not even a cheap labourer would take up, she was dangerously close to putting a bullet in that smug face of his. Vaas had appointed her the duty of cleaning the unholy outhouses around the camp that, quite frankly, needed torching. The pirate lord had also given her the task of being his personal chauffeur, driving him around the island to tend to his business at different camps and outposts. The proverbial cherry on top, the one she loved the most, was when she had to clean up after Vaas had finished with the 'rejects'. She had to pick their brains off of the floor, lift their corpses into an old, beat up truck, that had a dodgy wheel no less, haul the lifeless sacks of meat three miles down the road, up a steep, slippery incline and roll them ungraciously into a mass grave, heaving with a mountain of decomposing corpses.

During the day, she had to follow him around like a maid and at night, she received no reprieve from his presence. He barged into her shack without invitation, taking up the space on her bed with his feet propped up, demanding that she put on _Looney Tunes _or a film to pass the time. Eli had refused at first, but the pirate lord had threatened to melt down the tags if she didn't comply, so she did. Some nights he would sit in there for hours, watching films back to back until dawn. Eli often sat on the very bottom of the bed, curled up like cat to sleep. Other times she was forced to sleep on the floor or at the table, much to her annoyance.

The only saving grace to it all, was that they had managed to capture the second outpost within a two mile radius, securing the area, making travelling around much more easier. The rebels had been none too happy about it and had attempted to re take the outpost, only to fail miserably when Vaas had blown them to pieces with his favourite weapon of choice, an RPG.

The only way Eli found herself able to cope with the stress of it all, was through a regular dose of drugs, which she began to deeply regret. A dependency slowly set in, followed by the side effects of withdrawal, cold sweats, mood swings and shaking. She inwardly hoped that she could keep it in check whilst they stayed on the northern island, and that the others wouldn't notice.

The silence encompassing her shack soothed her agitated nerves, along with the pills she took only moments before. Sparky and Doc had steered clear of her path, in fear she would shoot them down with the laser beams so apparent in her glare. Eli sighed, prodding her gradually shrinking cheek; the swelling had all but gone, leaving a bruise in its wake, matching the two purple hand prints around her throat. Charlie and Lucas had been livid when they arrived back from the outpost. Had Eli not pulled rank on them both, they would have caused chaos among the camp, more than likely getting someone _(probably them),_ killed.

A soft knock sounded, stirring Eli from her thoughts, and for the first time that week, she smiled upon seeing Charlie poke his head around the door. The medic took it as a good sign, stepping into the room, he returned the gesture.

"Hey," he greeted. "How's it going?" He stood awkwardly, hands stuffed into his cargo pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"All things considered, not too bad, I guess," she mused. Charlie nodded.

"I just got off the phone with Roy, he wanted an update," the medic informed. "He's pleased with our progress, wants us to press on asap." Charlie sighed, scuffing his boot against the floor, he ground his teeth together with frustration, brows pulled into a scowl.

"What?" Eli asked, dread pitting in her stomach. It wasn't often the medic looked so stricken.

"Roy wants us to head into Bad Town, speak with Buck, said he has some Intel for us." At the mention of the Australian's name, Eli frowned.

Buck. One of Volker's best hitmen and a world class asshole at that. She and Buck never saw eye to eye. Each time they would meet, he would openly express is disdain for her, constantly questioning why Volker would allow a _woman _into his ranks and comment on how much of an ugly eyesore she was.

"Buck," she spat with disgust. "I hate that jerk!" Charlie inwardly agreed. His encounters, however brief, were always unsettling for himself and the other male mercs. The Aussie eyed them like pieces of prime meat ready for the chomp. The man wasn't afraid to voice his thoughts, nor make an inappropriate grab at them either. He petrified them!

"Roy said he's got some contacts in the town that are willing to give him info on the outposts nearby. Said it was _important _that we speak with him," the medic huffed, entirely unhappy with the scenario, but what could he do? Call Roy back and tell him he didn't want to go because he was afraid the hitman would make a pass at him and grab his ass? Yeah, right.

"Well, if Roy's given the order, we have no choice," Eli said with much reluctance. "Oh, hey, did you get any news on Teddy?" She asked, perking up considerably at the thought of the other merc.

"Yeah, Roy said he touched down yesterday. Mission went smoothly," Charlie answered. She sighed, jealous that Teddy had gotten out of coming to the northern island. Still, it would be good to see the big hulk again. She missed him.

"Have you told Lucas yet?" Eli smirked at the anguish passing over the medics face; oh, she did not want to be him when Sparky found out. "Have fun with that," she grinned.

"I hate you," Charlie groaned, hanging his head.

"Nah, you don't. I'm the only one you can have an intellectual conversation with! You love me!" Charlie scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Your words, not mine. I find talking to my reflection to be more mentally stimulating than you—hey!" Charlie narrowly avoided a book flying by his face, hitting the wall behind him with a thud. "That was a fucking thesaurus! You could have done some serious damage!"

"I'm sure you would have survived!" Charlie scowled, leaning down to pick up the heavy book, he rose a brow in question.

"A Spanish thesaurus?" Eli shrugged. She had no idea who it belonged to or why it was even in there. She had stumbled upon in when she cleaned out the shack one day. Curious, she flipped it open, going over the several words highlighted in the thick volume. Whoever had read it, had expanded their vocabulary considerably.

"I found it in the corner."

"Weird. I didn't even think half of these guys could read!" She grinned.

"Go and tell Sparky we'll be heading out soon. I'm going to get geared up and inform the boss," she said, standing up from the bed and making quick strides across the room to fetch her military fatigues.

"How are we going to get there?" He questioned. Walking would take far too long and driving would prove dangerous in such a hot zone.

"How about we go by sea?" Eli suggested, moving over to the map pinned up on the wall. "There's a network of rivers. If we take a small boat, we can pass through there."

"Alright, but I get to steer the boat!"

"Fine!" Charlie abruptly left after their agreement in search of the techie, leaving Eli to kit herself out, ready for the journey ahead. Once dressed, she placed her weapons on the table in a neat order before making her way out of the shack and down the incline in search of the pirate lord. Eli paused, lifting the sunglasses from her eyes, she quirked a brow at the sight of Vaas lounging on the old hammock, lazily swinging in the passing breeze.

"See something you like?" Vaas smirked upon seeing her standing beside him, arms folded over. The sight of Sunny's dogtags resting on his chest had her practically shooting fire out of her eyes. Vaas knew it annoyed her, which is why he chose to wear them. It also meant that Eli wouldn't go snooping around for them when she could blatantly see them in the pirate lords grasp.

"Not really, no," she sighed, pulling a lollipop from her back pocket, she unwrapped the brightly coloured paper, popping the strawberry candy into her mouth. "Charlie got word from Roy this morning. He informed us that _Buck _has some important Intel for us and that we have to meet with him in Bad Town." Vaas frowned, eyes narrowing with disgust. He too had had his fair share of run ins with the pervert; though Buck knew not to push him too far, lest he wished to lose a finger.

"And you're boring me with this, why?" Eli rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease the tension.

"Since you're our _boss, _it's our duty to inform you when we leave the base and where." Vaas waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I don't fucking care where you go or what you do, unless it's me, of course," he smirked, enjoying the deadpan expression falling over her face. "It'll be nice to get some peace and fucking quiet from you three," he said with a heavy sigh. "So go on, piss off. Have a nice day and try not to die." With a dismissal wave of his hand, Eli left his presence, shooting him one last scowl over her shoulder, grunting at the wide grin he gave in response.

* * *

The wind whipped across the ocean, pushing the swell of waves against the raft, rocking the boat in a rhythmical sway. Charlie stood at the helm, steering the vessel over the choppy waters; eyes darting left and right, keeping a careful watch on jungle fringe. He glanced over his shoulder at his comrades, smirking at the petulant pout upon the techie's face. He sat in the back, arms crossed over his chest with a face like thunder. Lucas had had a fit when the medic informed him of their trip into Bad Town. Eli and Charlie had to drag him out of the shack, down the hill and throw him onto the boat, pinning him down when he attempted to jump overboard. Eli stood behind him on the mounted gun, sweeping the heavy weapon left and right.

"Cheer up, Lucas!" Eli shouted over the rush of wind. "At least Buck likes you! That man wouldn't piss on me even if I was on fire!" Lucas's face twisted deeper into a sour pout.

"I'd rather he spat in my face than try to touch my dick!" Charlie barked at the techie's comment, earning him a glare.

"I don't know why you're laughing, Doc. We all know Buck has a thing for your _gentlemanly _ accent." The colour drained from the medics face, Sparky's words every bit true. Buck had a penchant for accents, Charlie's especially. The hitman constantly complimented him on his British accent, saying that it sent "shivers" down his spine, much to the medics disgust.

All too soon the trio arrived at their destination. Charlie expertly steered the boat down the river; Eli and Lucas hopped out when he pulled it up beside the dock, anchoring the vessel with a thick rope. They stared at the sight of Bad Town, sharing a heavy sigh. The three mercs made their way up the embankment and into the shanty town, carefully skirting around the rubbish and debris strewn along the ground; broken glass and splintered wood with plastic and twisted pieces of metal stacked in messy heaps. The locals eyed them guarded suspicion, moving further away when they approached; shutting doors and closing windows, securing themselves in their small homes, peering through the knot holes.

"Friendly as ever," Charlie muttered wryly, glancing into the open door of a local shop, where an old woman stood behind a counter, shot gun resting on her shoulder, giving him a sharp glare.

"At least the ladies like us!" Lucas chimed, waving at the group of scantily clad women loitering outside of a derelict shack with an obnoxious neon sign humming on the roof.

"Those are hookers, Lucas, not ladies," Charlie informed the techie.

"Dude, that's a little harsh."

"But true."

"Don't encourage them," Eli sighed, hitting him on the arm when he began to call back to the prostitutes.

"Aw, c'mon! I haven't gotten laid in _months! _Cut me some slack!" He whined.

"I'm sure you'll live," she shot back boredly, tentatively stepping a cross a small, well worn bridge.

"But what if I don't, huh? What if I die right here, right now? Would you be able to live with the guilt of knowing you stopped me from getting laid one last time?" Eli came to an abrupt halt, causing the techie to knock into her back; she spun on her heel, hands reaching up to grip his shoulders, she stared him dead in the eye, face portraying boredom.

"Your penis doesn't concern me. _At all. _Even if it fell off and you never had sex again, I wouldn't even care. In fact, I would be overjoyed. Because at least then you would stop whining about sticking it in something!" Lucas winced, cringing at her words.

"Ouch, that's just cold!" Eli gave an audible groan, shooting him one last glare, she released him from her grip and continued on her march through Bad Town. Charlie chuckled from behind Lucas.

"Mate, if you're that concerned about getting fucked, I'm sure Buck will happily oblige!" He teased, grinning from ear to ear at the sickly look passing over Sparky's face.

"Don't even say shit like that! Ugh!"

"Will you two stop bickering?"

"This place is disgusting," the medic mused, face scrunched up with revulsion at the pungent smell of piss and alcohol wafting from the bar when they rounded the corner; they stood in front of the run down tavern, shoulders tense, brows furrowed, inwardly wishing the shithole would spontaneously combust into a ball of fire, never to be looked upon again. But they had no such luck. They would have to endure.

"Good luck to us," Lucas muttered, running a hand through his brown hair nervously.

Eli pushed open the door leading to the dank, humid bar; she turned away, cringing when a wave of different smells assaulted her, almost knocking her over. A veil of smoke hung heavily in the room, smothering their senses with the potent odour of cigars and cheap tobacco, mixing unpleasantly with the fumes of alcohol and urine lingering in the air. The incessant buzzing of flies could be heard, the irritating noise grated against her ears, the noise drowned out the song playing on the barely working jukebox, the lights flickered and waned, barely casting a glow in the dark corner.

A few patrons hunched over the small, worn tables; cards fanned out in front of them with an overflowing ashtray and empty bottles of beer. One of the men playing poker grunted when a large rat scurried across the table, running in front of him without fear. The man back handed the rodent, throwing it roughly to the floor; the flea ridden creature fell onto his boot, prompting the man to kick the creature across the room and into the far wall.

"Can't say I missed this place too much," Charlie and Eli nodded in agreement at the techie's words. They moved further in, cringing when they caught sight of a familiar face seated in a dark corner; he flashed them a wolfish grin, beckoning them over. The two males groaned, muttering '_oh god' _followed by a string of profanities.

"Well well, aren't you boys a sight for sore eyes!" Bucked greeted heartily, his eyes racking over each of them with hunger. The excitement faded from his face when he shifted his gaze to a rather pissed off looking Eli; arms folded over her chest, a dark glare settled on her features.

"Lennox," Buck said with revulsion, his face scrunching up with disgust, as if someone had just spat in his beer. The Aussie reclined back in his seat, leg propped up on the table, giving them an ugly view of his crotch.

"You're lookin' a little peaky, mate, why don't ya come over here 'n' sit ya'self down on ol' Uncle Bucks lap?" Buck suggested to a rather stricken looking Charlie, who discreetly moved further behind Eli.

"I'm good here, thanks," he muttered, swallowing a thick lump of nerves gathering in his increasingly tight throat. Was it hot in here, or was just him? Buck merely shrugged.

"How about you, Sparky?" Lucas promptly shook his head, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"What's the matter, mate? Does Uncle Buck make you nervous? Don't be shy! I'll be real gentle with ya'!" Buck barked with laughter at the perturbed expressions on their faces. The two male mercs stood behind Eli, using her as a human shield, effectively repelling the perverted Aussie.

"You look like you could do with a little more red meat! Put some colour in those nice cheeks of yours," he flashed Lucas a smile, giving him a wink. "Don't ya' worry, I've got a nice, juicy piece right here! There's enough for both of you two beauts!" Buck said huskily, grabbing the his crotch to accentuate his meaning. When none of the mercs made a move or sound, Buck sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Sit the fuck down already, you're messing up the Feng Shui in 'ere," he muttered, annoyed that the men hadn't taken up on his offer. No matter, he always did enjoy it when his prey refused. He laughed when the three mercs shuffled to the opposite side of the table, squeezing themselves in the tight space, elbows and knees knocking into one another.

"So," Buck began, swinging his leg off of the table, he propped his elbows on the surface, leaning further in. "What the fuck is wrong with you, aye? Ya' got a face like a slapped ass! Then again, you always have," he spat at Eli, giving her a cold sneer.

"Rumour has it that poor Sunny kicked the fuckin' bucket," he said nonchalantly, watching their expressions changing with a flick of a switch. He smirked at the darkness pulling at Eli's features. "Judging from the looks on your faces, I'm guessing it's true. Fuckin' shame. Such a handsome man," Buck said with a hint of forlorn. Eli clenched her fists into a vice, teeth grinding together; her shoulders pulled taut from tension, back straighter than an arrow. She shot the Aussie a demonic glare, provoking a wide grin in response.

"I always wondered how long it would be before he croaked following you around like a fuckin' dog. That boy was too loyal for his own good!" A fist hit the table with a bang, giving the group of mercenaries a start. They glanced over to Charlie, his white knuckled hand resting on the surface; face contorted into anger.

"It wasn't Eli's fault!" He spat venomously. The others looked at him in bewilderment. They rarely ever saw the medic so angry. "It was a stupid fucking mistake, okay? We lost a good soldier that day and we're all living with regret. I would _appreciate _it if you'd keep your god damn mouth shut on the matter!" Buck slowly blinked, surprise visible on his worn face.

"Well well, looks like the gentleman has got a bit of a temper. I like that," he teased with a smirk. "But since you asked so nicely, I'll let it go."

"Can we cut this bullshit and get to the chase? We've got better things to do," Eli snapped impatiently, all too eager to get out of the hotbox of a bar and away from the antagonizing Australian.

"You're a fuckin' killjoy," he commented with irritation. "But whatever. I'll be glad to see the back of that ugly face of yours." Eli bit her tongue, inwardly restraining herself from reaching for the knife strapped to her thigh and running it through his stupid grinning face. Why was she surrounded by such annoying, obnoxious men as of late?

"So, what's this Intel you've got?" Charlie prompted impatiently. A smirk tugged at the corner of Bucks lips; he tilted his head to the side, eyeing the medic up and down.

"Ah ah," he began, waggling a finger back and forth. "First, you'll 'ave to do something for me!"

"What?!" Lucas baulked. "But Roy said-"

"Hey!" Buck barked loudly, cutting him off. "Rule number one: never give anything for free, got it?" The mercs huffed, giving him a scowl. "If ya' want my info, you're gonna 'ave to do something for me." The trio shared a look of concern.

"Like what?" Charlie dared to ask, swallowing a thick lump in his throat.

"One of ya' lads can get on your knees and taste my fuckin' cock," he said, watching with great pleasure as the colour drained from their faces.

"No way!" Lucas and Charlie protested loudly, eyes wide with visible fear. Buck shrugged.

"Do you want the fuckin' Intel or not?!" They shared a heavy sigh, eyes passing secret words between them. Eli and Charlie nodded, turning to a bewildered Lucas.

"What?" He squeaked with concern. "Oh no. No, no, no! I refuse!" He quickly said, pushing his chair back to stand.

"What about Charlie!?" The medic scowled, arms folding tightly across his chest.

"I'm pulling rank on this one. There's no way I'm doing it!" He shot back. Lucas made a noise a kin to whimpering dog.

"This isn't fair!" He whined loudly, pulling gently at his hair. "Can't we flip a coin?! Rock, paper, scissors?!" Eli sighed, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.

"Is there a second option?" She drawled out, a stony mask upon her face. Buck frowned, displeased at their refusal. No matter, there were other things he desired just as much.

"There's an old mine shaft to the south east of 'ere. Couple of the locals were diggin' it out, looking for precious stones 'n' all that shit," he began in a hushed tone, leaning across the table. "Well, get this, it turns out they unearthed a fuckin' tomb down there! Carved stone pillars, statues, you name it! Said there was some nice lookin' treasure too."

"And they just told you this?" Lucas asked suspiciously, slowly taking back his seat at the table. Buck laughed.

"Of course not. Had to break their fuckin' fingers first!" He grinned madly, eyes flashing at the fond recollection.

"So why didn't they take the treasure for themselves?" Charlie inquired.

"The witless fucks said there was an old rope bridge leading across a gaping chasm. Said they lost one of their friends, took a little tumble down the cliff. Guess it wasn't worth the risk to 'em." Eli scoffed.

"But it is for us?"

"Of course it is!" He snapped irritably, giving her a look of disgust. "You want the Intel I got, don't ya?" She reluctantly nodded. "Then it's fuckin' worth it."

"What is it?" Lucas questioned suspiciously.

"Ah, see, rumour has it there's a tomb of a lost emperor or some shit down there. The fat bastard had a penchant for figure heads. Ivory, Jade, even _gold! _Now, see, I'm not a greedy fella," the mercs inwardly scoffed. "I just want that Jade figure head. The one carved like a dragon. Legend has it that the dragon is supposed to be lucky fucker!"

"And what if we don't find it?"

"Then I guess you'll be on your hands and knees when ya' get back, boy," Lucas grimaced at the mental imagery, praying to all things that were holy they would find the artefact.

"We don't exactly have the correct gear for this," Charlie chimed in.

"Well ya' lucky sods, I've got just the thing for ya'. Me mate Hector has all the supplies you'll need. Free of charge!" Buck informed the medic with a wink.

_How kind of him. _

"This mine shaft," Eli began, shifting the Australians attention away from Charlie. "Where is it?"

"Don't ya' worry about that. Ol' Buck will take ya' there himself once we've stop by Hectors."

The mercenaries followed Buck out of the bar and through Bad Town, skirting around the well worn path towards the make-shift fence wrapped around the perimeter, where Buck had a Jeep waiting on the grass verge. They reluctantly climbed into the vehicle, slinging their gear into the back; Charlie had drawn the short straw, sitting up from next to the Australian with his hand firmly on his knee, gradually moving higher until Charlie swatted his hand away, claiming he had seen a spider. Buck merely laughed, grinning from ear to ear at the medics antics.

They stopped by an old shack on the outskirts of town, hidden behind a curtain of vines and tall grass. Buck had instructed the mercs to wait in the Jeep whilst he went inside the derelict shanty to retrieve their gear and exchange words with the man. He emerged almost half an hour later, climbing gear slung over his shoulder, he threw them into the back, hitting Eli in the face; she scowled, shooting him a venomous glare that he expertly ignored. They passed through the lesser known back roads, carefully driving over the bumps and around the snaking vines threatening to re claim the dirt road. Shafts of light flashed through the thick jungle encompassed all around them, flickering the shadows in a bright dance. Eli sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease the headache stirring in the back of her head.

"You okay?" Eli asked the quiet techie, leaning closer so he could hear over the rattle and creaking of the rusted Jeep.

"I feel violated," he muttered. "That man raped me with his eyes!" Eli flashed him a rare grin, causing him to scowl in response.

"Aw," she mocked with a pout. "Want me to hold your hand and tell big, bad Buck to go away?"

"Shut up!"

"Hey, be grateful! At least you aren't getting groped in the front seat like Charlie," she snickered, casting a glance over her shoulder to see the medic edging further away from the Australian, leaning precariously out of the Jeep to stay out of his reach. Lucas nodded his head, thankful that he had jumped into the back before the medic had time to react and firmly wedged himself between Eli and their gear, much to Charlie's annoyance.

"So, cave exploration, huh? Sounds like fine!" Eli grunted, scowling beneath her sun glasses.

"It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's better than the alternative," she mused, running a hand through her sweaty bangs. She wasn't sure what was worse, being a personal skivvy for Vaas, or venturing into a dark, dangerous cave for Buck, all because he was a selfish, egotistical prick. Lucas shuddered, nodding his head in quick agreement.

"At least we have the proper gear, right?" He said optimistically. The mercs had enough sense to pack their basic survival gear each time they ventured out of the camp, just in case. On more than one occasion had they been stranded and left to fend for themselves in the past. They weren't taking any chances this time.

"We may have the gear, but we don't exactly know what we're doing."

"Ah, don't worry, Looney Tunes! I did a bit of rock climbing when I was a kid! I've got us covered!" Lucas chimed happily, recalling the fond memories of his childhood. Eli sighed dramatically with her head in her hands.

"We're so fucked."

"Here we are!" Buck called loudly, pulling the Jeep to an abrupt stop just before a large rocky overhang. "See that path there?" He pointed to a small dirt trail leading between two large boulders. "That leads to the mine shaft. Don't worry, it's been abandoned for years. Ya' shouldn't run into any other fuckers."

Reluctantly, the three mercs jumped out of the vehicle, gear slung over their shoulders, they followed Buck down the trail, marching through the tall grass and stepping over the thick vines snaking across the dirt. They stopped just outside of a large, cavernous hole leading into the abyss; a cold, musty breeze blowing from within.

"Well, in ya go!" Buck said with a grin, gesturing to the ominous cave. The three exchanged worried looks, eyeing the creaking, rotten support beams and crumbling cave walls, they turned to Buck, brows furrowed.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Eli questioned with quiet concern.

"How the fuck should I know?" He barked with irritation, giving her a scowl. "All I know is that beaut of a figure head is in there with my fuckin' name on it! Now go on, in you go! Chop chop!" The Australian practically pushed the woman inside the cave, causing her to stumble.

"One of you little rippers give me a bell when you're done! Ol' Buck will come pick ya' up!" He shouted into the cave, his obnoxious voice bouncing off the walls.

"I hate that guy," Charlie muttered, unconsciously brushing himself down to get rid of the invisible germs the Australian had left when he practically molested him in the Jeep. The shafts of light at the entrance of the tunnel began to fade, plunging the mercs into a world of darkness.

"Let's get some light in here," Eli imused; she bent down, digging through the pack Buck had given them, only to stop short, glaring at the insides.

"What?" Lucas questioned upon seeing the frown settling on her face.

"That asshole gave us rock climbing equipment. We can't use this!" She shrieked, holding the cables and harnesses in her tightly clenched fist.

"Why not?"

"Because rock climbing and caving are two entirely different things!" She spat back with annoyance.

"Well, It's too late now. He's already left," Charlie chimed in, notifying them of Bucks departure.

"Great!"

"We'll have to make do." The medic said with a sigh.

_Typical Buck. I bet he did this on purpose! _Eli inwardly seethed, cursing the crazy Australian with every name under the sun.

"Since that twat didn't give us any lighting gear, we'll have to use the pistol attachments," she instructed, pulling the device from her pack and mounting it onto the bottom of her pistol, switching it on with a burst of light.

"Man, if I had known we'd be in a dark cave I'd have brought our night vision," Lucas whined with disappointment. The other two inwardly agreed, but there was little they could do now. They pressed on, carefully treading through the old mine shaft, pausing when a loud groan rocked through the unsteady tunnel, causing a stream of stones and dust to fall from the ceiling. At the end of the cavernous tunnel, they came to man made hole carved into the wall.

"This just screams horror movie to me," the techie muttered, staring through the narrow crevice. Eli took point with Charlie bringing up the rear. She took off her pack, placing it at Lucas's feet, she began to squeeze into the tight space, grunting and cursing when the rough surface scratched against her skin.

"I'm out," she said with relief, glancing through the wedge at a rather pale looking Lucas. "Pass me my pack." Lucas obliged, pushing the bag through the narrow passage until she pulled it out.

"Did I mention I was claustrophobic?" Lucas muttered nervously, swallowing a lump of nerves in the back of his throat. A sudden rush of heat crawled up his back, sweat beading on his brow, he swept the torch over every inch of the narrow squeeze, chewing his lip anxiously.

"If you don't hurry up, you're going last!" Charlie snapped impatiently, he pushed the techie forward, tapping his foot in the dirt floor.

"Alright, alright, geez!" Lucas pulled off his pack, pushing it through the gap until Eli took hold, pulling it from his grasp. With a deep, shaky breath, he stepped forward, shimmying ungracefully between the jagged rocks; cursing a colourful string of profanities with each step.

"See, you made it," Eli said with a grin, hitting the techie on the shoulder. "Good job." Lucas returned her grin with a crooked of his own. He turned away from Eli, whom waited patiently for Charlie, and balked at the sight before him. He stood on a shelf of a cliff, a rickety, old wooden bridge stretched across a pitch black hole, swinging dangerously in a gentle breeze, leading to a large tunnel on the other side with two large, carved statues of Chinese dragons standing at the entrance. A trail of broken pottery and cracked stone laid strewn outside of the hole, disappearing into the dark void.

"We're crossing that?" He said almost breathless, eyes wide with worry. Eli sighed from beside him, sweeping her sights over the large cave. Dim shafts of light peeked through the spider web cracks and thick foliage covering over the top, lighting the area in a faint glow, giving them a view of the vast innards of the cave; thick, dark stone carved from time, slick from the condensation dripping from the large stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Lucas jumped with surprise when Charlie kicked a loose stone over the edge, sending the small rock tumbling down the hole, hitting the edge nosily until it fell into silence.

"Hear that? Sounds like rushing water," Eli mused, listening to the faint sound of water churning from the bottom of the dark hole.

"I wonder how far it goes" he mused, intrigued.

"Dude, don't stay so close to the edge!" Lucas snapped, pulling the medic to a safer distance.

"Aw, is Lucas worried about me? That's so sweet!" Charlie mocked, puckering his lips into a kiss. "I didn't realize you cared!"

"If you two are quite finished, can we get moving?" Eli asked impatiently, anxious to get on with their task and get out of the tomb. The men nodded.

"Yeah, sure. We just gotta get across _that _first." Lucas gestured to the rotten looking rope bridge; several planks of wood were missing, a green mould and vines creeping across the rope.

Eli snatched the pack from Lucas and began to dig through the assortment of climbing equipment Buck and _generously _given them. She pulled out a handful of thick safety lines and harnesses with robust metal clips. She tossed the two mercs a harness of their own before she stepped into the straps, pulling it over her torso and fastening the clips.

"Is this it?" Lucas mused, glancing down at the equipment, tugging and fiddling with the clasps. "You sure this is safe?"

"Hey, if you'd rather not wear it," Eli trailed off, moving closer to the techie, arms raised to grab the harness. Lucas backed away.

"No, no, I'll take it!"

"So, I guess you attach this line to the back of mine and then Charlie's on yours?" She questioned, glancing at the two mercs for confirmation. They shrugged in response, clueless to the whole thing as she was. Eli sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Right, we'll just wing it, I guess."

"You want me to put that on your epitaph?" Charlie teased, giving her a smirk.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea you knew what you were doing. Please, by all means, step up here and tell us what to do!" The medic rolled his eyes at her sarcastic bite.

"Point taken," he sighed.

"This thing is pinching my balls," Lucas whined, trying to dig the straps out of his crotch. "It's too tight!"

"At least you won't fall out." Eli sighed, rolling her eyes at the two men.

"Shall we get going?"

"We shall!" Lucas chimed.

"I'll go first." They made no protest when Eli stepped forward. She stood at the edge of the bridge, hands wrapped around the rope; knuckles white. Tentatively, she stepped forward, lightly pressing her boot against the wood, she released a shaky breath, relieved when the plank held her weight.

Lucas and Charlie stood on the rocky shelf in a stance, slowly feeding the rope through their sweaty, gloved fingers as Eli carefully moved across the bridge at a snails pace.

The overpass groaned from her weight and began to swing from the momentum. Eli grit her teeth, heart in her throat, she forced herself to breath, focus on moving her feet one at a time. Sweat began to bead on her brow and neck, dripping profusely across her dirty, clammy skin. She could barely breathe under the crushing tension anchoring her down. She told herself not to look down, think of nothing but crossing the bridge. It was a walk in the park. Nothing dangerous about it at all. Nope. Nadda. Eli sucked in a quick gasp when one of the wooden planks snapped beneath her feet, bowing from the pressure, it broke in two, forcing her to jump onto the next one, shaking the bridge with her quick movement.

_Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. _She repeated over and over in her mind, willing her shaking feet to move with precision.

"Keep moving, E. You're doing fine!" Charlie called from across the chasm. His words were meant to be encouraging, to urge her on, but they only served to annoy her, distracting her from the task of not falling to her death.

"Shut up!" She shouted through gritted teeth; she inwardly cursed when she felt her knees buckle, threatening to give out under the immense adrenalin pumping fiercely through her veins. Eli tightened her grip on the rope, pulling her suddenly dead weight body along. The end was just in her reach, she could see the flat, firm edge of the opposite shelf, welcoming her with open arms to step upon its safe surface.

_Yes yes yes! _

When she finally placed her boot on the rock, Eli fell onto her knees, shaking hand clutching at her chest; the sensation of a thousand drums beating beneath her fingers. She gave a heavy sigh, gasping for much needed breath, she thanked the stars above for her safe arrival. Wiping the dripping sweat from her brow, she pushed herself up onto shaky legs, she pulled a sturdy life line from her pack, securing it to the safety hook, knocking it firmly into the flat surface of rock.

_I hope this will hold. _Eli mused once she had finished and began to test the weight, pulling and twisting against the clip; satisfied that it held, she beckoned the others over.

"If it can hold your fat ass, I'm sure we'll be okay!" Lucas called back, earning a middle finger from Eli. The techie laughed nervously, tentatively stepped onto the bridge, fingers curling tightly around the rope. It took him a little longer than Eli to reach the other end, but he did so without fault. He greeted Eli with a shaky hug, arm slung over her, pounding head resting against her shoulder, waiting with baited breath for the medic to cross.

"I think I might have pissed myself," he muttered on a breath, laughing when Eli looked at him with disgust.

"C'mon, Doc!" He shouted, voice echoing like a gong in the cavernous space.

"Be quiet, your obnoxious voice is putting me off!" The medic shot back, brows furrowed with deep concentration. Charlie took in deep, calming breaths with each careful step he took, pausing when the wood whined in protest from the unwelcome weight. He had reached half way across the bridge when an ungodly groan sounded, followed by the noise of rope twisting and chaffing. The medic slowly glanced over his shoulder, eyes shooting open when the two wooden pegs holding the bridge began to snap and splinter, swinging the bridge violently as the wood bowed.

"Fuck!" Charlie cried out in panic, breaking into a run when the rope supporting the bridge snapped loudly, wrenching free from his sweaty grasp.

"Run run run!" Lucas shouted frantically, watching helplessly beside Eli, who could barely breathe under the intensity.

"Come on!" Eli shrieked, voice pitching high with fear.

Charlie's feet pounded against the rotten planks, breaking them in half, causing the wood to fall from the bridge and into the abyss below. He had nearly made it; he could almost touch the other side. Suddenly, he began to fall, the unseen hand of gravity wrapped tightly around him with an unyielding embrace, pulling him backwards. Eli and Lucas reached out to grab him, fingers brushing against one another, just out of their reach; absolute fear apparent on their faces.

"**_Charlie!_**"

"Shiiiiit!" Lucas bellowed in alarm when the rope attached to his safety harness snapped taut, dragging him backwards; he clawed at the shelf, desperately trying to gain purchase on the slippery surface. The techie cried out when he slid over the edge, stomach turning violently from the plunge; the rope tensed, bringing him to a jarring stop. He stared up at the edge of the cliff with wide eyes, barely able to breathe.

"Charlie? You there?" He called quietly, almost afraid to speak louder in fear it would cause them to fall.

"Yeah, mate, I'm here." Lucas let out a shuddered breath, relieved the medic was still with them.

"Eli?"

"Climb the fuck up already!" She all but shrieked with panic. The thick line chaffed against her fingers, rubbing the skin a red raw. Eli shifted her weight against her precarious footing on the rocks; she wrapped the rope around her elbow and shoulder, bracing her entire body away from the edge. A sudden tug on the rope caused her to falter; her grip slackened, ripping the safety line from her grasp.

"No!" She shouted in terror, watching helplessly as the rope snaked over the edge, plunging Lucas and Charlie further into the darkness. Eli scrambled to her feet, desperately trying to gain ground and find something to hold onto; the harness line tugged her back, pulling her roughly to the floor, knocking the wind from her lungs; dragging her along the rough stone and to the edge. Eli's fingers gripped the jagged rocks, cutting sharply into her skin. She tried to pull herself up, but the weight dangling beneath her was too much. She couldn't even breathe under the strain crushing her chest.

Eli's sucked in a sharp gasp, eyes widening with absolute fear when the safety hook, the only thing holding them up, began to rattle against the rocks, slowly unhinging itself from the bed of stone, unraveling the connection rope until it came free, laying limp on the floor in front of her. Her hands became slick from the blood oozing from the cuts on her hand, rendering her unable to hold on any longer; Eli screamed at the top of her lungs when she fell away from the edge. The abrupt noise rang sharply in her ears, mixing with the anguished cries of Charlie and Lucas. Eli stared up at the roof of the cave, watching the shafts of light filtering through the cracks fade into the distance; shrouded by a thick, impenetrable darkness before the world turned cold.

* * *

Uh oh! I hope everyone is okay!

So, we got to see Buck! What did you think? I hope I pulled him off alright? You didn't get to see much of him in the game, so it was difficult for me write out his words and expressions. :x

Not much Vaas in this one, I know. But fear not, there will be much more canon in the next chapter!

Oh and before I forget: I will be using my *new* dA (syphonicz) to post updates on this fanfiction. So if it's late, feel free to check there. :)

As always, I am open to ideas/suggestions and I take constructive criticism well. Or if you just want a bit of banter, feel free to PM me. I am always up for a chat.

Lemme know what you think! I reply to all of the reviews (if not a guest) :)


	12. Chapter 12

First of all, I am deeply sorry for the huge delay. I have a lot going on right now and I just don't have the time to sit down and write. I can assure you though I _am _still very interested in my story and I am desperate to continue to write for it, but the things going on around me right now are sapping my energy. Sorry! I have been posting updates on my dA account though.

Thank you to those who reviewed: VaasFan, Peppermintcookz, Sickmonkey89, ita-chan01 and the Lady Artificer. I appreciate you guys taking the time to review! :)

Chapter thirteen is currently in the works. I've at least got the beginning down, so that's something! :P Hopefully it won't take as long.

Big thank you to Black-fl0wer for her help and support! You're amazing. :)

Lots of canon in this one! I really enjoyed writing it (when I could) so I hope you'll enjoy reading it. :)

* * *

An hour had passed since the mercenaries had left and Vaas wasted no time in enjoying the peace and quiet, relaxing in a secluded corner with only his thoughts and a beer for company; his recent hit began to slowly kick in, igniting an electrical energy through his veins, bringing his chaotic mind to life. When the phone clipped to his belt began to vibrate, he scowled, a growl rolling from his chest, he snatched the device, glaring at the obnoxious name flashing on the screen.

"Boss," he greeted neutral tone, the closest the pirate lord would ever get to being polite.

"Vaas!" Volker greeted. "I just touched down, flew in from Monte Carlo. I want to meet with you, discuss some business." The South African instructed in a refined manner, with an undertone of authority. Vaas inwardly swore, sighing softly through his nose. Would he ever be granted a moments peace from these dick heads?

"Sure, boss, where?"

"My compound. Be here within the next hour," he said before ending the call. Vaas held the phone to his ear for a moment longer, listening to the dead dial tone shrieking in his ear, irritated by the fact that his only moment of solace was, once again, stolen from him. Angry, he pushed out of his chair, no longer in the mood to lounge around in the sun, he stomped into the camp, knocking roughly into any pirates he passed, shooting them a vicious glare.

"Hey, motherfuckers!" He called to three pirates working on the docks; a bundle of fishing nets and traps at their feet. "Stop whatever you're doing and start the fucking boat. We're going to the south island," he commanded with a growl, snapping the pirates into action, they began to scurry around, untying the boat and jumping aboard, starting the engine with a sputter.

Vaas sat in the back of the boat, glaring out at the open waters; eyes squinting against the bright intensity of the sun glistening across the shimmering waves, causing him to hiss. With a deep frown upon his face, he sat with his arms firmly crossed over his chest, aggravated. He felt like a fucking dog jumping through a hoop and begging for a treat every time Volker commanded him to. The drug lord rarely ever came to the island unless it was for big business. He had only left a few days ago, so why was he back so soon? The pirate lord sighed, scrubbing a hand over his weary face. There was no use thinking about it. He had to obey. Volker was his boss and that was that.

The southern island gradually became clearer when they approached. A large, fortified compound could be seen inland, tall watch towers with high powered beam lights and razor wire mounted on the walls; men patrolled the perimeter in teams of two, armed to the teeth with a vicious dogs at their heels. A group of mercenaries greeted the pirates none too friendly, scowling at their pirate lord, turning their attention back to their duties. Vaas spat on the ground as he climbed out of the boat, shooting anyone who dared glance his way an evil look.

"Montenegro," a deep voice called from an open hangar. Vaas glanced to his left, watching a large man take wide strides towards him.

"Copperfield," he spat with a hint of disgust. The two men sized each other up; Roy towered over the pirate lord, his body mass twice the size of his own. He was a behemoth of a man. They stood in front of one another, arms crossed over their chests, brows furrowed with annoyance.

"I trust my mercs aren't behaving like a bunch of fucking children?" Roy questioned gruffly with an arched brow. Vaas scoffed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"They're a real weird bunch of fuckers," he mused. "Lennox is a spitfire." Roy nodded in agreement.

"They're a rowdy bunch, but they get shit done. Best team of fucking mercs I've ever had." Roy turned his piercing gaze away Vaas and glanced over his shoulder, giving a sharp whistle.

"Jackson!" He bellowed loudly; a young merc halted in his stride, freezing on the spot. Slowly, he turned, wide eyes, body rigid. "Get over here!" Jackson hesitated for a moment, something both men didn't fail to miss, before jogging over, head down, eyes darting around awkwardly. Vaas rose a brow his appearance; his lip split, a light scab healing over the wound, framed by a myriad of black and blue bruises on his cheeks and neck with small cuts and burns.

"Sir?"

"Stand up straight, boy, you're not a fucking cripple!" Roy spat, roughly taking Kyle by the shoulders and lifting him off of the ground with ease, forcing him upright.

"Sorry, sir."

"If it's not too big of a task, I want you to take Montenegro to Volker," he commanded with a deep growl. "He's down in the cell block. Can you manage that, huh? Is that a simple enough job for you?" Roy leaned down until he hovered a few inches from Kyle's face, his brown eyes burning holes into Jackson's. Vaas watched on, amused by the show of intimidation. He was sure the kid was going to piss his pants at any moment. In fact, he hoped he would, just to brighten his day.

"Yes sir!" Kyle barked, snapping to attention with a salute; he greeted Vaas with a nod of his head, beckoning the pirate lord to follow when he moved away.

Vaas pursued the skittish boy, watching with great amusement when he darted around the other mercs marching through the camp, tail between his legs. Jackson lead him into the main compound, a bastion of thick concrete and steel. The world gradually became dark, lit only by the flickering bulbs swinging from the ceiling; shadows flashing along the walls. The distant sound of a pained shout touched his ears and he smirked, a sense of wicked delight igniting within him. The pair moved further into the bowels of the fort, passing by several mercs and through heavy metal doors until they came to the holding cells.

The pirate lord eyed the men standing around the room warily; the mercs leaned against the wall, snacking on food and watching an old, out dated television pushed into the corner; the screaming and moaning of the occupants in the other cells drowned out the soap playing on the screen, causing one of the mercs to shout profanities at one of the prisoners.

"Vaas!" A familiar voice greeted when he rounded the corner. Hoyt Volker pushed away from the wall, making quick strides towards him. "You look fucking pale! Got the shakes? Need another hit?" He asked, pulling out a baggie of white powder from his jacket pocket, dangling it in front of his face. "This is some good shit!"

"I'll pass," he declined, not wanting to take the risk of mixing the drugs he had taken earlier. Volker shrugged without a care and turned on his heel, moving over to a worn table where his phone sat next to a spread of bloodied tools. Carefully, he poured the contents onto the screen, lining it up in a neat row before snorting the powder through a fifty dollar note.

"What did you want, boss?" Vaas asked impatiently, arms crossed over his chest.

"Straight to the point. That's why I like you, Vaas! No beating around the bush!" He flashed the bemused pirate lord a grin; eyes bloodshot and twitching from the fresh hit flooding his system.

"Tell me, how are my little mercs doing?" Vaas scowled at the mention of the mercs. Were they some sort of fucking rock stars in this joint?

"As good as trained mutts can be," he spat with revulsion. Volker laughed.

"I expect nothing less! Cost me a fucking fortune to train those bastards!" Volker reclined against the table, wiping the powder from his nose.

"Now then, a few things I'd like to discuss with you," the South African began, an air of professionalism and superiority falling over his features. He stood straighter, chin raised, eyes a steely glare. "I've got a new client in Dubai. Rich, fat bastard with a penchant for Caucasians. Men in particular," Volker said with a hint of disgust, face pulling into a scowl.

"He wants four men within the next few weeks for a fucking party he's having at the end of the month or some bullshit," he ran a hand through his hair, pulling slightly at the strands. "He's got good business and a lot of resources. So get what he wants and in a timely manner. Do you think you can manage that?" Vaas nodded his head in understanding.

"Good. Another thing: Teddy Lawson, one of the mercs from Alpha Team returned from his mission yesterday. He'll be accompanying you back to assist the other mercs in re taking the island." The pirate lord frowned, displeased with the idea. More fucking mercs. Just what he needed! As if he didn't have enough trouble with the three he had buzzing around him like flies on shit.

"Also," Volker began, stirring Vaas from his train of thoughts. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." Hoyt pushed passed Vaas and rounded the corner, prompting the pirate lord to follow after him down a network of narrow, dark corridors leading to another cell block with no windows and only sturdy, non de script metal doors with a single number painted messily on the front.

"Let me out!" A hoarse voice shouted with audible despair, muffled behind the thick walls. "Let me out, damn it!"

"Shut up!" One of the guards bellowed, knocking against the door with a hollow bang.

"Please! I can't stand it in here any longer!"

"If you don't shut the fuck up, my boot is going to be so far down your throat you'll be shitting shoe laces for a week!" The guard barked irritably. The prisoner quickly quietened down, his sobs audible in the deathly silence.

_Solitary Confinement. How fitting. _Vaas had never been to this corner of the compound. He glanced around the room, curiously, eyes passing over the mercenaries posted in the room and up the rusted metal staircase that led to a walk way overhead, where he imagined several more cells to be. Loud shouting and cries of pain could be hear emitting from another door at the far end of the room, labelled _Interrogation'_ in a bloody red.

"Open the door," The South African barked to one of the mercenaries standing by the wall. He quickly rushed forward, gloved fingers fumbling with the old fashioned keys. The heavy door opened with a loud whine, flooding the dark, enclosed space with light. A man sat on a small, metal chair, arms and legs tightly bound with a blindfold and gag. His head hung low, chin against his chest; blood dripping from his nose, soaking the once white cloth stuffed in his mouth. The merc who had opened the door flicked on a switch, igniting a small, dim bulb above the man's head, casting a sparse amount of light over the prisoner, barely enough to see beyond his arm.

"Let me introduce you to my good friend here, Sergeant Thomas Grey," the drug lord moved into the cell, slowly circling around the bound man until he stood behind him. Thomas jumped in surprise when Volker rested his hands on his shoulders, fingers curling tight, nails digging painfully into his skin.

"This piece of shit here is a _sympathizer. _He's been getting friendly with the locals!" Volker spat with disgust, lips curling into a snarl. "Giving them food, water, and medical supplies. Isn't that nice of him? Hm?" Vaas stood in the dark corner of the cell, leaning against the unyielding wall, watching Volker slowly move to stand in front of the man.

"HE'S BEEN GIVING THOSE FUCKING SAVAGES _MY _SUPPLIES!" He bellowed loudly; voice bouncing off the walls, ringing sharply into all ears within reach. Volker leaned down and took the man's chin in his hand, fingers grasping tightly.

"And I don't like that one fucking bit!" He seethed angrily, slapping the man across. "I do not take kindly to disobedience! You're mine, do you understand? _Mine! _I own your useless ass, got it?! If I say jump, you'll go to the fucking moon and back without so much as a whisper of question!" His voice steadily rose to a shout. Volker stepped away from the man, smoothing his jacket down, he sucked in a deep breath.

"I've put a lot of money into you, so I'm not going to kill you." Grey's shoulders sagged with visible relief at Volker's words. The South African laughed.

"I am going to do something much, much worse. By the time it's over, you'll be wishing you were dead," he whispered darkly, grinning madly from ear to ear; he turned his sharp gaze to Vaas, whom rose a brow in question.

"Vaas, would you do the honours?" Volker inquired, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, igniting the end in a fiery red. " I know how good you are at catering our _guests needs_." Vaas nodded, a sadistic grin spreading across his lips at the many ideas dancing through his head. He was going to have some wicked fun, oh yes.

"Everything you need should be there," he said, gesturing to a table laden with a wealth of torture devices waiting for the pirate lord to play with. Volker clapped him on the shoulder before stepping over the threshold, shutting the door with finality, leaving the two men alone.

Vaas's eyes quickly adjusted to the minimal light, allowing him to see through the shadows encompassing around the edges of the spot of light. Slowly, he moved around Thomas, his footsteps muted and precise, concealing his presence. The pirate lord took great delight in the way the man jumped, sucking in a sharp breath, turning his head left and right in panic when Vaas purposely brushed his hand against him each time he passed.

* * *

The sound of silence rang deafeningly in his ears, a sharp bell gradually growing louder with the strong thrum of his heart and the increasingly noisy breaths shuddering from his chest. He tried to calm himself, whispering re assuring words in the back of his mind; almost afraid to think any louder in fear that the pirate would hear him and attack.

Grey sat rigidly on the cold metal chair, waiting with baited breath for the pirate lord to reach out and touch him once more, brushing cold fingers against his arm or neck. But it never came. And that only served to frighten him more. Where was Vaas? What was he doing? He could _feel _the weighted gaze of another bearing down on him, watching silently from a corner, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

_It's okay, calm down. Volker isn't going to kill you. He said so himself, remember?_

Time seemed frozen, non existent in the small, solitary cell of nothing but black shadows and despair. Thomas curled his fingers around the metal arm rest to steady his trembling nerves and stop the loud rattling of the chair. He sucked in a sharp gasp when something snatched a fistful of his hair, pulling his head back until he hit the chair; the gag came loose first, allowing him to breathe with greater ease. The blindfold followed, slowly slipping from his face and fluttering to the floor. He stared up with wide, stricken eyes in the demonic face of Vaas looming over him. A perturbed grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Hello," he whispered quietly before roughly letting go of Grey's head. He quickly turned, glancing over his shoulder to see the man, but he was gone. Nothing but thick darkness oozing from the corners. Wide, green eyes darted around the room, searching the thick veil creeping in to the small, spot of light cast by the bulb above his head. Thomas gasped, turning abruptly to the right when something moved from the corner of his eye. There was nothing there.

"What's wrong, hermano? Are you scared of the fucking dark?" His voice bounced off the unyielding walls, bombarding Grey from every direction.

"Over here!" He turned at the sound of the voice, eyes darting around in a frenzy.

"No, hermano, here!" He said with a manic laugh, sending a chill up Grey's spine. The erratic beating of his heart thumped painfully against his chest, a loud hammer pounding between his ears, shaking his vision with each strong pulse.

"Fuck you!" Grey shouted, fear hinging each word. "Just get it over with already!" Vaas's deranged laugh rang hollow in his ears, striking fear into his very soul, freezing the blood in his veins.

"You think it's that easy, motherfucker? Oh no, no no no! We're going to have some fun!"

Thomas cried out when pain stabbed at his face; the sensation of fire pulsated angrily from the cut, stinging each time he dared pull the muscles in his face taut. What happened? He hadn't even seen the pirate lord emerge from the shadows to strike him. Was it all just a twisted hallucination? Had his mind finally broken the tether to sanity, giving way to the dark madness that he now stood in?

_No no no. It's real! I know it is! _Thomas squeezed his eyes shut, willing away the laughter coming from every corner of the room.

"Wake up, hermano!" At the sound of Vaas's voice, he snapped open his green eyes, staring into the steely blue of the pirate lord who hunched over in front of him, face mere inches apart.

"What's wrong? Are you scared? Are you going to fucking cry!?" Vaas snapped angrily, his hands flew out, snatching Thomas on either side of his head; his fingers dug into the fresh cut on his face, causing Grey to hiss with pain. The pirate lord smirked at this, eyes dancing with the chaotic fires of hell, he laughed.

"For a merc, you're a fucking wimp, you know that?" He whispered low, a myriad of emotions passing over his face. When Vaas grew quiet, he became tense; disturbed by the fact that the pirate lord was staring right into his fear stricken eyes, reaching into his very soul with just a mere look.

"I'll tell you what, hermano. We're going to make things a little more _interesting,_" The mad grin that spread across his face unsettled Thomas; he swallowed thickly, averting his eyes from his piercing, cold gaze. "I'm going to tell you a riddle. If you guess correctly, I won't hurt you. If you get it wrong, well, shit, you'll have to wait and see." The hairs on Grey's arms stood on end at the low chuckle Vaas gave. He didn't like the sound of this game.

"Are you ready? Here we go, hermano. Listen carefully!" Vaas instructed, pinning Grey with a mere look.

"The man who invented it, doesn't want it. The man who bought, it doesn't need it. The man who needs it, doesn't know it. What the fuck is it?" Thomas began to think frantically, his mind a whirlwind of chaos, each thought tripping over one another in haste. He didn't know. Oh god, he didn't know the answer. Slowly, he lifted his wide, green eyes to steely blue, breath shuddering with fear.

"I-I don't know," he admitted, voice pitching with slight panic. Vaas sighed with disappointment, head cocked to the side, he rested his cheek against a curled fist, watching the man squirm.

"A coffin," the pirate lord told him finally, a tone of boredom audible in his words. "I'm disappointed, hermano. You looked like the intelligent one out of these fuckers." he said with a flick of his wrist. Vaas stood from his crouching position in front of Thomas, dusting himself off, he turned on his heel, disappearing into the shadows.

"You fucking failed to answer the first riddle. You know what that means, don't you, hermano?" The sound of metal scraping against wood touched Grey's ears; his panic spiked, sending his pulse into overdrive. He twisted his neck awkwardly to glance over his shoulder, only to shout in surprise when Vaas placed a hand on his opposite shoulder.

"Peek a boo, motherfucker!" Vaas whispered darkly, before pain exploded in the side of Grey's face, knocking it harshly to the side; the sick sound of bone snapping was the first thing he heard, followed by the sputtering and gurgling of blood in his mouth. Droplets sprayed from his mouth, spattering on the concrete walls and floor, dripping profusely from his lips.

Thomas coughed, gasping for much needed air that suddenly left his lungs. He stared at the floor in shock, unable to pull his mind back into focus from the hard blow. An angry fire throbbed in his cheek, clawing at his skin with razor sharp claws, cutting into the bone. Slowly, he turned his wide eyes to Vaas, sucking in a deep breath when he caught sight of the brass knuckle duster flying towards his face once more.

His cries of pain rang pleasantly in Vaas's ears, a harmonic song of chaos and ecstasy. Blood dripped beautifully from his hands, droplets spattered across his arms and face, his favorite colour. His fist collided twice more with Grey's face before he relented; he was under strict instructions not to kill him, much to his dismay. He would have taken great pleasure in draining the life out of this pathetic excuse for a mercenary, pushing him over the edge until he cried like the little bitch that he was until he finally had enough, ending his weak life with a bullet between those sad, whimpering eyes of his.

"What's wrong, hermano? Can't take the pain, hm? I thought you mercenaries were tougher than this!" He spat with disdain. Vaas looked down at the bloodied face of Grey's; the cheeks gradually swelling, turning an ugly hue around the broken fragments of cheek bone poking precariously against the skin.

_Fucking dog!_

"Okay, hermano, we'll try one a little easier, alright?" The pirate lord said nonchalantly as he resumed the position he had taken earlier, squatting in front of Thomas. "I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, To live and breathe on this motherfucking terrestrial ball. What the hell am I?"

Grey's mind drew a blank, unable to think of a plausible answer to his insane riddle. All he could think of was the pain squeezing at every muscle in his face, a vice clamped around his skull, growing tighter with each pulsation of his heart. What was it? Who was it? God damn it, he didn't even want to play this stupid game! This was mad. Insane! How was he supposed to think coherently with the sensation of a thousand fiery hot pokers digging into his face and with a deranged man breathing down his neck? He jumped in surprise when Vaas gave a loud sigh; the pirate lord scrubbed a hand over his face, brow raised, a visage of utter boredom.

"The future!" Vaas spat with agitation. Didn't this guy know anything? "Which isn't looking too good for you, hermano." Without hesitation, Vaas lashed out, his fist connected hard with Grey's nose, cracking the bridge with an audible snap. Fire shot through Grey's body and he shouted out in agony, curling his fingers tightly around the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white, desperate to push back the bile that rocked through his stomach from the pain stabbing at him from every angle. He told himself not to cry, not to show any more weakness. Thomas bit down hard onto his lip, drawing blood from the hard pressure, trying to pull his mind away from his throbbing, broken nose.

_Jesus Christ! He broke my fucking nose! That fucking bastard! Shit shit shit!_

"What's wrong? Are you going to cry? Want me to get you a fucking bottle, huh? Pussy!" Vaas growled angrily, his boot came down hard between Grey's legs, slamming into his crotch; he cried out, face contorting with anguish. He sputtered and coughed, cringing when Vaas pressed his foot down harder, giving a slight twist before he pulled away.

"You really didn't think Volker would notice you dicking around with those fuckers, did you? You're more retarded than I thought!" Vaas barked loudly, an unhinged tone began to creep into his voice, sending a shiver down Grey's spine.

"Okay, hermano, last one! Get this wrong and the _real _fun begins," he taunted with a wide grin, teeth flashing in the dim light. "What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never fucking sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?" When Grey didn't immediately reply, Vaas snatched a fistful of his hair, pulling his head back with a rough yank, glaring down into his petrified eyes.

"Well?!"

"I don't know! I don't fucking know!" He stuttered, fear piercing his words. He stared up at Vaas, cold, white fear shooting through his veins at the enrage look pulling at the pirate lords features. Oh god.

"A RIVER!" Vaas bellowed loudly, giving Thomas a start. "Don't you fucking know anything?! You stupid fuck!" His head fell forward when Vaas abruptly released him. The pirate lord pivoted on his heel, vanishing into the thick shadows.

Grey sat frozen, unable to breathe from the tension constricting his chest. Different sounds came from behind him, pushing him further over the edge. What was Vaas doing? What was that noise? His mind came to a halt at the sound of a low hiss.

"You're really shitty at riddles, hermano," Vaas began, slowly making his way around the edges of the darkness. When he stood in front of Thomas, the man baulked, eyes fixated on the blue flame.

"But that's okay. I won't punish you for that." A wicked grin began to creep along the pirate lords lips; he lifted the blue flame closer to his face, dark shadows playing across his features, accentuating the demonic look in his eyes. "I'm afraid I am going to have to punish you for playing with those fucking savages though. Which was a fucking stupid thing to do, by the way."

Sweat beaded profusely on Grey's brow, cascading across his bloody skin, rolling over the fresh cuts on his face. He found himself unable to breathe, a thick stone lodged in his throat, cutting off his air way, causing his breaths to rise into sharp, painful gasps. His green eyes followed Vaas's every movement, glued to the hissing tool in his grasp. Slowly, Vaas reached down to the knife holster on his leg, pulling a blade loose; the metal gleamed menacingly in the light, catching Grey in the eye.

The pirate lord held the knife up to his face, looking over every inch of the weapon; his tongue flicked out, running along the flat edge to the very tip, he smirked, amused at the petrified expression on Grey's face. Vaas held the knife over the flame, the metal began to glow a white hot red, hissing and sizzling.

"Try not to cry like a bitch too much, hermano," the pirate lord taunted, taking agonizingly slow steps forward until he stood in front of the trembling merc; his eyes wider than dinner plates, skin pale as snow. When Vaas reached out for him, he turned his head away, pressing himself hard into the metal chair. The pirate lord growled, snatching him roughly by the chin, Vaas forced Thomas to look him directly in the eye.

"I want you to look at me, hermano. Watch as I slowly cut into your soul and make you bleed!" He hissed darkly, increasingly his grip on the whimpering merc's face, he slowly lifted the dagger, holding it only inches away from Grey's face. He could feel the man shaking beneath his fingers and it encouraged the pirate lord on, pushing him further into the dark corners of his mind where only shadows and demons lay, whispering satanic words, flashing horrifying pictures within his mind's eye. He grinned excitedly.

"Stay still. This is going to hurt." Slowly, he pressed the knife into Grey's cheek, filling the room with the unpleasant odour of cooked flesh and the sound of sizzling. The man cried out, desperately trying to pry his face away from the pirate lord, but his grip was unyielding. Each time he moved, his fingers dug further into his chin, his nails dug in deep, drawing fresh blood and a new sensation of pain.

A mad grin pulled at the corners of Vaas's mouth; he thoroughly enjoyed it when his prey screamed so pleasantly in his ears. His steely blue eyes darted away from the knife, taking a quick glimpse at the agony passing over Grey's face. The pirate lord gave a manic laugh and looked away, focusing on carving into the man's face. Once he had finished with his right cheek, he moved onto the left, pausing only to re heat the blade when it became too cool for his liking.

* * *

Grey shook from head to toe, covered in a sheen of sweat, pale as a corpse. Listless, green eyes stared unfocused at droplets of blood pooling on the floor; his mind a haze, unable to preform even the most simplest of actions. He forced himself to breathe, keep his eyes open, to stay alert. With a great deal of effort, he swallowed; fiery hot shards of glass stabbed at his raw throat, rolling hard down to his chest, cutting into his tender torso. He darned not move, or even breathe too loudly, for he could still hear the pirate lord shuffling around behind him, placing back the tools he had just used on him.

A soft, distant sigh caused Thomas to jump; a laugh came, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching. Vaas stepped around his chair until he stood in front of him, arms behind his back, head cocked to the side. With dry blood spattered on his face, shoulders and arms, he gave the trembling man a smirk.

"Thank you for participating in the Montenegro experience. Unfortunately, our time together has come to an end. I've got other shit to do. So, hermano, this is goodbye!" Vaas sighed, disappointed that he had so little time to play with Grey, especially when the man was oh so vocal about his pain.

"I know, I know, goodbyes are always sad. But don't worry, hermano, I have a feeling you won't forget me any time soon," he said with an eerie grin pulling at the corners of his mouth; teeth glistening beneath the dim light. Grey recoiled as Vaas leaned in. He turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut, willing himself to block out his hot breath pouring over his face when the pirate lord came a low, demonic chuckle.

Vaas abruptly pulled away, a victorious smug grin upon his bloodied face. He turned on his heel and gave a loud bang on the door. A loud shriek sounded, followed by a flood of light. Vaas paused at the threshold and glanced over his shoulder.

"Adios, amigo," he said, giving Thomas a mock salute before being swallowed by the blinding light. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Grey encompassed in darkness once more. He was alone. With nothing but the recent traumatic memories playing over and over in his mind, tricking his senses.

Vaas strode through the solitary block with a smug grin upon his face; satisfied with his latest handiwork, he pulled a packet of crumpled cigarettes from his back pocket and popped one in his mouth, flipping his lighter, igniting the end. With a contented, he breathed out a thick plume of smoke, making smoke rings and exhaling through his nose. Just as he was about to round the corner leading to the stairs, a face appeared in front of him, almost colliding into his chest.

"Watch where you're fucking going," he spat venomously, shooting the mercenary a dark glare. Vaas scowled, lips curling with visible disgust when he recognized the figure in front of him. That whimpering kid, Jackson. The pirate lord thought the kid would keel over at any moment from how pale he became.

"Sorry," he muttered nervously. Kyle cleared his throat and straightened his back. With wavering confidence, he slowly lifted his brown eyes to meet the pirate lords gaze; he swallowed thickly at the stony look.

"The boss wants to speak with you in his office." Vaas rolled his eyes and stepped forward, purposely knocking into Jacksons shoulder when he passed.

"Where the fuck do you think I'm going, huh?" Jackson scurried after the pirate lord, keeping a few paces of distance between them as he followed him around the dark corridors and metal stair cases until they came to the door leading outside. The pirate lord made quick strides across the yard, making a bee-line for Volker's office that lurked over the compound, giving the South African a good vantage point to watch his men moving about.

Vaas entered the room a few seconds after knocking. He walked confidently in, chin raised, fists clenched. His steely eyes narrowed at the sight of Roy's large frame and another male, who's size rivalled the man just beside him.

"Vaas!" Volker greeted with wide grin. "Excellent work on Rogers." The pirate lord sniffed loudly, giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the show, boss." The South African nodded eagerly; the corners of his mouth twitched from the mad grin he wore, matching his wide, blood shot eyes. Volker fidgeted in his seat, unable to sit still from the drugs surging through his veins. The remnants of white powder were still visible on the surface of his mahogany desk.

"That fucker better not cause any more shit or I'll have to put him down like all the other bad dogs," he snapped, bringing his fist down onto the table with a bang. "The next bastard that decides he wants to play nice with the villagers, you put a fucking bullet in that sympathizing mouth of his, do you understand?" All occupants in the room nodded obediently when the weighted, deranged gaze of Volker passed over each them. With a sigh, the South African reclined back into his chair, smoothing over hair, straightening his jacket.

"Now then," he began in a more calm manner. "Vaas, this is Teddy Lawson, the mercenary I was telling you about. He's a fucking tank of a man and one of my best," Volker said, introducing the behemoth of a man standing beside Roy. "He's the heavy gunner and the mechanic of Alpha team. Try not to get him or any of my other mercs killed."

"What do you want me to do, hold their fucking hands?" Vaas spat impatiently, steering his gaze away from Teddy, latching onto Hoyt. The South African frowned at his tone and shot him a look of warning. The pirate lord scowled and backed down, folding his arms over his chest with an audible huff.

"I expect you to do as you're fucking told, do you understand?" Vaas reluctantly nodded. "I want you to make sure they do their jobs. And by that, I mean kill every one of those one of a bitches on that island and re take what's mine!" Volker's voice quickly rose to a shout, bouncing off the walls, ringing sharply in their ears. He abruptly stood from his chair and began to pace the length of his office.

"I don't want to get a fucking call that their all laying face down in a ditch because you've overdosed them on my god damn product. Keep an eye on them. I don't need any of those fucks running off to play Green Peace with the villagers!" Hoyt turned his fierce gaze onto Teddy, whom immediately stood to attention.

"Get the job done and get it done properly. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Teddy replied with a nod of his head.

"Good. Now then, you two piss off back to that shit heap of an island and get rid of those fucking rats!"

* * *

When Vaas had returned to his island, he was livid; the fires of hell burned deep into his eyes, lips curled into a snarl, frothing at the mouth. The pirate lord stomped through the camp, pushing any unsuspecting pirate that dared step into his path to the floor and spitting in their face before continuing on. Once he reached his shanty, he paused at the door, narrowed eyes shifting to the one beside him. Eli's. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he turned from his room, making his way over to hers, he pushed the door open with a whine and stepped over the threshold into the dark room.

A still silence encompassed the room; shafts of light peeked through the metal grates and bars covering the windows, a spotlight for small, specks of dust to dance in the ray. Vaas quietly closed the door behind him and made his way over to the bed where he sat on the edge. The scent of Eli filled his nostrils. A smell he found strangely calming, yet annoying all at once. The anger he felt moments before melted away, replaced by an empty void of darkness. The adrenalin that had been pumping through his veins all but vanished, leaving a heavy sense of fatigue in its wake.

Vaas sighed, scrubbing a hand over his weary face, fingers scratching at his beard. Tired blue eyes swept across the room curiously, taking in the familiar sight of her wooden trinkets, books, maps and boxes of equipment. The pirate lord pushed off of her bed, lazily walking the length of her shanty, fingers gliding over the surfaces. When he reached the fridge, he paused and opened the door. A lonely beer sat on one of the shelves, unopened and cool. Vaas snatched the beverage without hesitation and popped the cap off between his teeth; he carelessly tossed the top over his shoulder and shut the fridge with his boot. He watched the bottle cap slowly roll across the room before it slipped between a crack of a suspicious looking floorboard.

Vaas rose a brow, intrigued, and made his way over; the floor gave a hollow thud when he stomped his boot over the suspicious plank. The pirate lord kneeled down in front of the locker, setting his beer carefully on the floor, he began to pry the floorboard loose. With a little wriggling, the piece of wood came free, revealing a dug out hole with items carefully placed inside and his bottle cap sitting on top.

The pirate lord tilted his head to the side, eyeing the contents of the secret cubby hole. Carefully, he reached inside, picking up a well worn book from the top of the pile. He turned it over in his hands, fingers running over the spine and face. Faded gold, embossed numbers on the front.

Vaas flipped through the torn, yellow tinged pages; eyes skimming over the messy hand-writing of what he thought to be an adolescent teenager A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, eyes dancing with devilish delight. He had found the holy grail of blackmail. The pirate lord chuckled and snapped the book shut, placing it beside him. He began to pull the others out, stacking them in a neat pile. When Vaas pulled the bag out of the hole and unzipped it, his smile grew into a wolfish grin at the treasure trove of brightly coloured pills, powders and bottles sitting in the bottom. Oh, Eli was a naughty, naughty girl.

He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she realized what was missing.

* * *

Woo! We got to see Vaas's wicked side once more. It's been a while, hasn't it? ;) What did you think? Any sympathy for poor Grey? Hehe.

And what's Eli to say **_if_** she gets back? :O Don't worry, we'll be going back to the mercs in the next chapter. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Well, I'm actually enjoying it, so, haha.

Lemme know what you think. PMs are always welcome! I do love a good chat.

Don't forget to check out my dA account 'syphonicz' for updates! :)


	13. Chapter 13

Two freakin' months to update? What the _hell? _I know, guys, I'm sorry. I really am. :/ I feel terrible about it! I want to thank those who reviewed, favorited and put me on alert. You guys rock! And thanks for putting up with me. I've already got chapter fourteen written up, so once I get fifteen written up, I will post it asap. Assuming anyone actually reads this still after so long?

Big thank you to black-fl0wer and The Lady Artificer for their help with this chapter. I was a little apprehensive about posting it, but they looked it over and assured me it was good to go!

Thank you to those who reviewed: VaasFan, SickMonkey89, TheGothPrincess, Guest and Leanord. You guys are what keeps me coming back! :)

Anyway, I won't prolong the wait!

Off we go!

* * *

_Thump... thump... thu—mp..._

Darkness encompassed all around her in a thick blanket of suffocating silence, dragging her deeper into the depths. Her body heavy, mind frantic and breathing restricted, she struggled against the force, flailing her arms and legs in desperation. She reached up towards the light that hovered above her tauntingly, only a small stretch away. She could feel the warmth against her cold skin, she knew it was there, only a breadth away, but she couldn't reach it.

The force pushed her further into the eclipse, crushing her lungs and throat. The wild beating of her heart began to grow dim, slowly falling into a distant thump. Green eyes began to fade, their spark extinguished, snuffed out.

**I can't reach it. I can't get out.**

A thunderous sound reached her ears, light began to pour in from above. She found herself being dragged towards the surface; colour and sound exploding all around her. Twisted shadows danced before her blurry vision, moving from side to side in a hypnotic dance. The shouts muffled and foreign to her ears, she couldn't make out what language they spoke.

"_Come on! Come on!"_

An arctic chill swept over her body, freezing her blood and bones to the core. Blue lips quivered, shoulders shook. A sudden tiredness overcame her and she found herself unable to fight off the sleep that beckoned. Something gripped her shoulders tightly, warming her cold skin. A gentle shake pulled her away from fatigue, muffled words rumbled beside her ear, a breath blowing across her neck. Her eyes fell closed, too heavy to lift beneath the exhaustion. Another shake, but she ignored it.

She felt herself floating softly through light, warm touches and soft voices all around her, trying to pull her back to reality. The darkness that threatened her earlier felt much safer and calm now, she reached out towards it with want, begging for it to take her. Something warm touched her lips, a hard pressure thumping against her chest. Bright bursts of light flashed before her eyes, blocking out the darkness she sought. She tried to ignore the dire call of her name and the warmth wrapped around her body, but she found herself anchored.

_**Wake up, lazy bones!**_

Eli sucked in a desperate gasp and bolted up right from the ground; she sputtered and coughed, bringing up a seemingly endless stream of water, spitting it out onto the cold, jagged rock beneath her. The shuddered breaths rolling from her chest became painful and tight, an invisible hand wrapping around her lungs, holding her in a tight squeeze. Slowly, she turned, staring into the wide, fearful eyes of Lucas whom hovered in front of her, his trembling hands tightly gripping her shoulders. Lucas furrowed his brow with worry and slowly reached up, taking her face within his cold hands.

"Fuck," he sighed with audible relief. "You scared me there!" He said, voice pitching with emotion. The techie blinked back the tears in his eyes and pulled her into a tight embrace. After a moment, he pulled away, giving her a tired smile.

"What...happened...?" Eli whispered, wincing. The rawness of her throat made it difficult for her to speak without discomfort. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing away the throbbing in the side of her head that grew more painful with each passing second. Eli reached up to rub her temples, only to be stopped by Lucas.

"Ah, don't touch it. You knocked your head pretty hard on a rock. Got a nasty gash there now," he told her, brushing a few wet locks from her face, cringing at the unsightly wound blemishing her skin. "Your hands are pretty cut up too," he said, turning her hands over, he frowned at the horrible gashes across her palms.

"Here." Lucas pulled off his ruined shirt, leaving him in a soaking wet tank top, and began to tear it into strips. Once he had finished, he picked up her palm and slowly wound the cloth around her hand, tying it in a knot before repeating the same action with the other.

"Do you remember what happened?" Eli gently shook her head and he sighed.

"After we fell, the current swept us further into a network of tunnels. We got thrown against the rocks, took a few hard beatings," Lucas gestured to the cuts and bruises on his face and arms. Dark spots of blood could be seen through the tears in his soaked uniform. "Our safety line got tangled up and dragged us beneath the water. So, I, uh, had to cut it..." he said with a sigh, eyes cast to the floor, heavy with burden and fatigue. A thick lump wedged in the back of his throat, making it difficult to swallow and breathe.

Eli slowly absorbed his words, using them to provoke her recent memories, but she found none. A void of emptiness. She furrowed her brows and glanced around the cave, eyes sweeping over the floor to ceiling pillars of naturally carved rock; stalactites hung from the roof, ominous teeth of a dark, unseen creature. The sound of water falling into the pools of gathered on the floor filled the air; a soft, rhythmical beat echoing in the large cavernous space. Only a small flash light held by the techie kept the shadows at bay.

"Where's Charlie?" She asked, turning her inquisitive gaze back to the techie. Lucas swallowed thickly, his gaze remained fixated on the ground.

"When I cut the rope...we got separated. I tried to grab him, but the current was too strong. He was swept down another tunnel. I couldn't hear his shouts after that. He was just... gone..." Eli sucked in a sharp gasp, staring at Lucas in disbelief. The techie slowly lifted his gaze from the floor, perturbed by the rising sound of her breaths that quickly came in short bursts, verging on hyperventilating.

Gone. Charlie was gone.

Eli struggling to her feet, ignoring the pain shooting up her sides, she began to pace the length of the dark cave, muttering frantically under her breath with wide, fearful eyes.

_Dead._

"No, no, no!" She whispered through gritted teeth, fingers wove into her hair, clutching at the roots with a firm grip. "This can't be happening! This can't be happening!" Eli mumbled repetitively; her voice quickly rose to an unhinged shout, spewing intelligible words of a madman.

"He's dead. He's fucking dead! Just like the others. Like all the rest!"

_They're all dead. Gone! It's all my fault!_

Lucas remained rooted on the spot, watching his team mate marching up and down, pulling at her hair, shouting madly. He didn't know what to do. He had never dealt with such a bizarre situation before. It was always Charlie, Teddy or Sunny that picked Eli up when she fell hard. They knew what to do, what to say and how to handle her.

_Fucking useless as always!_

"Why? Why? _WHY_?!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" He said hurriedly, taking a tentative step towards her. "Charlie's fine. H-he's fine! He's gotta be! He's the fucking medic! He never gets hurt, okay?" His words were meant to sound confident, encouraging, but the emotion pitching audibly in his voice gave him away; Lucas cringed, chewing his lip nervously, he reached out, snatching Eli by the arm, abruptly turning her to face him.

"L-listen, we're going to be fine. We're going to get out of here and find Charlie," he told her, voice growing firm. Eli stared up at him with the expression of a small, frightened child. He had never seen such a look on her usually stony face and it worried him. He had to take charge, be firm, a leader. He furrowed his brow, tightened his grip on her arm.

"He's going to be fine, okay?" Eli slowly nodded her head. "Say it, Eli."

"He's going to be fine," she whispered on a breath, voice quivering from the emotion clutching at her throat. Eli trembled against Lucas when he pulled her into a tight embrace; his strong arms wrapped around her protectively, whispering strong words of comfort into her ear.

_He has to be okay._

"We need to find a way out," Lucas instructed, pulling away from the trembling Eli, he swept his blue eyes across the cave, searching each dark corner and nook. A small crevice caught his attention; he carefully stepped over the jagged, uneven rocks along the ground, making his way over to inspect it. He inwardly measured the gap, deducing that he and Eli would fit through the narrow passage with little trouble. The techie returned to Eli, who stood like a statue; she shook from head to toe, arms crossed tightly over her chest in an attempt to warm herself.

"Come on, this way."

* * *

A sharp bell rang between his ears, a loud siren of agonizing volume pounding at his brain, distorting his senses. Something wet dripped across his face, ghosting over his lips and cheeks, leaving a cold trail in its wake. Darkness encompassed all around him, nothing but thick shadows of impenetrable black. Were his eyes even open? Was he still unconscious? Charlie couldn't tell. He wondered if this was all a dream; a twisted nightmare tricking his senses.

Slowly, he pushed himself off of the cold, wet ground, groaning when pain stabbed at him from every angle, making his head spin. The medic groped blindly all around him, searching for his pack, inwardly hoping that it would be near, for he didn't think he'd ever find it in the darkness.

_I can't see in this shit! _Charlie inwardly cursed, quickly growing more panicked with each second that passed. There was no way he could assess his injuries and find a way out if he couldn't see his own fucking hand! He sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose only to stop short, grunting when pain shot up his arm, immediately halting any movement. _Great. _He sighed heavily, resigning himself to the hopeless situation. Then, just like a bolt of lightning to his cerebellum, an idea ignited within his mind. The medic began to feel around the many pockets and pouches on his cargo pants, silently praying that his penlight would still be there.

"Thank the stars!" He said with heavy relief once he had grasped the small, slender device within his shaking fingers, he pressed the top and winced when the torch flickered to life, giving him a small beam of light. Charlie immediately began to relax now that he regained the ability to see; he had began to worry that he'd lost his sight from the fall. The dim, shaft of light barely stretched further than his arm, rendering him unable to scope out the cave. No matter, at least he would be able to see what damage he sustained. With slow, careful movements, he turned the penlight on himself, sweeping it over every limb. Charlie cringed at the cuts on his legs, the blood seeped into his torn cargo pants, shredded from the rocks he'd crashed into. The medic began to cautiously wiggle his toes, sighing with heavy relief when he could move them with ease.

Luckily for Charlie, the wounds he had weren't life threatening and would most likely heal once he had the proper medical equipment to tend to them. The large cut on his side, and arm however, proved to be a hindrance, making it difficult for him to actively move his shoulder or stretch his torso.

With a great deal of effort and a string of profanities, Charlie managed to get to his feet; he staggered, swaying unevenly from side to side. His head began to spin, tipping the world violently around him. His stomach churned, twisting into an uncomfortable knot, threatening to rebel. The medic closed his eyes, willing away the nausea that gripped him so. After a few deep, calming breaths, his blue eyes fluttered open and he began to awkwardly limp, searching the cave in hopes of finding his pack of supplies.

_Typical. _Charlie's brows furrowed with annoyance at the sight of his pack on the ground, caught between two rocks in a shallow stream. The side had been torn, the supplies strewn along the floor. Some of which had washed along the fringe of the cave, but not all of them. A good deal of his medical supplies were missing and much to his annoyance, his assault rifle, had been washed away in the chaos. With a sigh, he lowered himself to the ground, desperately trying not to bend his torso or arm. He gathered up what little was left and placed them beside him, inwardly hoping that he would find something he could use. The medic pulled a torn shirt from the pack; the material wet and dirty, but it would have to do. He fashioned himself a sling from the ragged shirt, tying it with great difficulty around his neck and arm.

_Beggars can't be choosers. _Charlie began to tend to the cuts on his legs and torso. He had no bandages or stitching kit, so he had to clean the wound as best as he could and hope for the best.

_Now, to find my way out of this oblivion._

Charlie roamed around the large chamber, hands moving over the jagged walls with only the sparse light of his penlight to guide the way. He stumbled and staggered, heavily favouring his right leg. The sweat poured off him, a salty rain falling onto the fresh cuts, stinging the wounded flesh with a thousand tiny bites. It seemed futile, pointless. Even if he found a way out, would he be able to make it with his gamy leg?

_At least they'll be able to identify my body. _He thought bitterly, running a finger over the face of his tags, the familiar embossed letters and numbers brought him a small amount of comfort, reminding him of the military man he was.

"Stop being a bitch and find your way out!" He chastised himself, irritated he had been so quick to chuck in the towel. With a new sense of vigor, he continued to grope the walls, using the small penlight to guide him through the shroud of darkness. A small trickle of water caught his attention; he followed the steady stream until he came across a narrow tunnel. Cautiously, he peered down the small passage, a thick blackness greeted him at the end, concealing what dangers may lay ahead.

_Die here or in there. Oh, the choices! _Life certainly had a sense of humour.

Once Charlie had hobbled back to the remains of his pack, he tied it in a knot to keep what was left of his supplies from falling out; he slung it awkwardly over his shoulder and made his way towards the hole.

_This is going to be a lot of fun with a bum arm and leg. _He mused, getting down on all fours with a string of grunts and hisses, he began to crawl through the claustrophobic space, slippery from the water running beneath him and the condensation dripping from the creeping vines that clung to the walls. Every movement he made, pain shot up his leg, through his torso and across his arm, causing his stomach to twist into a tight knot, making him feel dizzy and sick. Charlie tried not to lean too much on his injured arm or leg; it proved difficult when he had to crawl through such a tight space. The tunnel went on and on, a never ending darkness.

* * *

The passage lead to another chamber inside the cave, dark and dank as the first one. Lucas took point, guiding Eli through the shadows by her hand, his small torch lighting the way. Their footsteps and ragged breaths echoed in the cavernous room, bombarding them from every direction, confusing their senses. Paranoia began to creep in from the corners; unseen tendrils reaching out, brushing the back of their necks and arms, kicking loose stones along the floor, dropping cold droplets of water down their back.

Lucas tried to keep a calm and cool façade among the heavy tension that threatened to smother him, but it proved to be a difficult task when every time a noise sounded, Eli would gasp loudly, jumping into him, clinging on for dear life, sending his own fear through the roof.

_There's nothing there. It's just the dark. Keep cool, don't panic._

They walked at a snail's pace, cautiously moving one foot in front of the other, careful not to trip over any sharp, jagged ridges or fall down an unseen, perilous hole that could be no more than a few inches away. How long had they been walking? How far had they actually traveled? It seemed like an eternity.

Eli released her death grip on his hand, much to his relief; he was beginning to lose the sensation in his fingers. He continued on, flashing his torch long the floor and walls, carefully stepping over the cracks and vines along the ground. The tunnel became deathly quiet, not even the sound of dripping water could be heard; only the loud noise of his ragged, shallow breaths for company. Lucas furrowed his brow, and halted. He became anxious when he heard nothing but deafening silence.

"Looney Tunes?" He called in alarm when he pivoted on his heel, nothing but darkness greeted him. Panic sharply rose, stabbing at his frantic heart with an icy cold dagger. He made his way back at a brisk walk, desperately searching the shadows for his companion. But he saw nothing. Heard nothing.

"Fuck!" He yelled in despair; his voice bounced off the walls, echoing down the long tunnel, disappearing in the distance. Something cold touched the back of the techies neck, sending his mind into overdrive. He swiftly reached for his pistol and turned on his heel, gun raised, aimed at nothing but air. Lucas gave a shaky sigh of relief, and slowly lowered his weapon, inwardly chastising himself for being so jumpy.

_It's just your mind playing tricks on you. Calm down. Calm-_

A silhouette flashed in front of his torch, darting in front of the beam of light before disappearing back into the shadows. Lucas raised his gun, wide, fearful eyes watching the creepy blackness that threatened to swallow him. The techie shouted in alarm when a cold breath touched the back of his neck. He moved the flashlight in an erratic pattern, desperate to find whatever may be lurking.

"Is that you, E?" He whispered, voice pitching with panic. The fear began to wrap around his throat, restricting his airway to a shallow gasp. A quiet rattle sounded all around him, sending him over the edge of hysteria. A stone dropped a few feet in front, giving him a start, Lucas pulled the trigger by reflex, causing a thunderous bang to sound. Lucas clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut to dull out the sharp ringing that cut into his skin like a sharp, hot blade.

"Lucas?" The techie abruptly spun on his heel when something touched his shoulder; he raised his gun, finger resting on the trigger ready to put down whatever evil demon taunted his mind.

"Are you okay?" He stared with disbelief at the sight of Eli standing in front of him; her eyes were wide and full of fear as she stared down the barrel of his pistol.

"Fuck, Eli!" He whispered with heavy relief. Lucas holstered the gun and pulled Eli into a tight embrace; afraid that if he let go, the darkness would take his mind once more.

"Where were you?!" He bit with annoyance, voice quickly rising to a shout. "I was fucking worried!" He shook from head to toe. Adrenalin and fear rushing through his veins like surging waves crashing against the rocks.

"I thought I heard something back there," she said quietly, fingers still gripping onto his arm. "I went to look, but I didn't hear anything and you were gone." Lucas ran a shaky hand through his hair, inwardly trying to steady his shot nerves.

"It's okay," he said quietly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's okay."

"I heard a shot. Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, thought I saw a snake, that's all." Eli nodded slowly, not quite believing his story, but decided not to question him.

"I found something back there." Lucas furrowed his brow with confusion. Found what, he wondered. He hadn't seen or heard anything.

"What?"

"Some sort of ritual chamber," Eli informed him, turning her head to glance over her shoulder, staring into the shadows. "It could be a way out."

_A ritual chamber? Really? Why is it never a god damn pillow chamber or something nice? _Lucas thought with apprehension. The last thing he wanted to do was venture into an old, creepy ritual room where he imagined all sorts of twisted torture and messed up voodoo magic would be.

"Come on, this way." Eli took his hand, guiding him back through the tunnel. Lucas rose a brow at an archway, crudely carved into the rock, leading down a dark, unknown passage. The techie took point, lighting the way with his torch, carefully pulling Eli over the uneven ground and ducking beneath the thick, dusty cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. The shaft began to widen, leading them to a large, circular room with the ceiling reaching far; tendrils of light crept in through the cracks in the roof, allowing the snaking vines to grow thick and tall, running down the walls and along the chamber floor, curling around the worn away stone statues that decorated the room.

"What is this place," Lucas whispered with a note of caution, gazing around the room in wonder, he took in the sight of the pottery and urns; spider web cracks and large chips, spilling the powdery contents along the floor. His brows rose at the sight of bone charms hanging from the walls, rattling when a soft wind reached down from above, swaying them in a ghostly dance. The waxy remains of candles were everywhere. Melted onto the old, rotten table, stony shelves and along the floor.

"Check out over there" called Eli, gaining the techies attention, she pointed to another room in the back. Lucas stood at the mouth of the chamber; in the depths, stood an alter. Ancient, decorated in a terrifying red and black with bloody hand prints smeared along the walls. Lucas cringed when an ungodly loud crunch echoed throughout the room, causing him to wince.

"Aw, fuck," he groaned, lifting his boot to see the fragmented remains of a skull beneath his boot. "There's loads of them!" He said with concern, sweeping his torch over the skeletons piled on either side of the walkway leading to the alter. Others hung from thick chains bolted into the walls.

Lucas moved around the podium standing at the head of the alter; a table laden with skulls, dried flowers and melted candles strewn over the surface. He furrowed his brows at the strange, silver pendants, twisted into obscure shapes with precious gems gleaming in the centre. Carefully, he plucked one from the table, and ran his fingers over the face, wiping away a thick layer of dust.

* * *

Eli knelt on the dust covered floor, surrounded by a dozen flickering candles, staring intently at the human skull she held tentatively in her grasp.

_S__uch a small skull, _she inwardly mused, running her fingers over the cracks covering the surface. _Must have been a child._

A cold chill ran up her spine, pitting a deep sense of dread in her stomach. A dark void of fear and despair began to spiral inside of her, ensnaring her heart in an icy cold grip. Eli swallowed thickly, and set the skull back where she had found it.

"_**Pretty spooky, right?" **_A voice whispered in her ear, setting the hairs on her neck on end. She quickly turned, staring with wide eyes at the distorted face of Sunny, who leaned over her shoulder; a cold grin on his pale face.

"_**You're going to die down here, just like them," **_he mocked, giving her an eerie smirk_. __**"Just like Charlie." **_Eli squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to drown out the taunting sound of his voice whispering maliciously in her ear, vanquishing all hope, replacing it with a foreboding sense of dread.

"_**You're going to die. You and that fucking techie!" **_

_It's a figment of my imagination. It's just the cave playing tricks on my mind._

"_**It's your fault Charlie's dead! He died because of your incompetence as a leader. Just like **_me!**"**

"You're not real," she whispered fearfully, teeth clamped together. "You're not real!" Eli jumped with surprise when Sunny gave a hollow bark of laughter, she snapped her eyes open, staring at him in bewilderment.

"_**Real?" **_He scoffed._**"What do **_you _**know about what's real or not? You're crazy!"**_

"I'm not crazy!" She snapped harshly, giving him a steely glare. "I know you're not real, because you're dead." She had seen it with her own eyes, heard the bullet that ended his life. He was dead, gone. This _shade _was an impostor, a cheap imitation her mind projected out of fear.

"_**Not crazy? Then why the hell are you talking to me?" **_He chuckled low, taking a step forward, he stood in front of her, staring down with an mischievous glint in his eyes. **"****_Why can you see me?"_**

"Screw you!" Eli spat with contempt; her fist curled into a vice, knuckles turning white, arms shaking from the tension. Sunny tutted with disapproval.

"_**Careful now, I wouldn't want you to burst a blood vessel."**_

"Why are you doing this?"

"_**Doing what? Speaking the truth?" **_Eli scowled.

"Haunting me." Sunny laughed.

"_**Oh, Looney Tunes, I'm not haunting you. I **_am_**you! There's no such thing as ghosts, you stupid shit!"**_ Eli's brows rose at his words, shocked at his admission. He was a part of her? He was lying. He had to be.

"_**That's so cute. You thought I was a ghost?!**__" _Sunny burst into a deranged laugh, clutching at his sides. He quickly settled, the amused grin slid from his face, replaced by a stony mask. "_**No, Eli, I'm you. That twisted, fucked up part of you that you always try to hide, to suppress. Well, guess what? Looks like you're losing control!"**_

"No," she growled through gritted teeth. "You're not part of me. I'm nothing like you!" Sunny ignored the hateful glare she gave him and shrugged.

"_**If that's what helps you sleep at night.**__"_

"Go away. I don't want to speak with you any more." Sunny smirked.

"_**How can I when I'm a part **__**of you, huh? I'm inside the shadows of your mind, the darkness of **__**your heart, waiting.**__" _Eli's brows furrowed with confusion.

"For what?"

"_**For the day when you finally snap," **_He told her, snapping his fingers to accentuate his meaning**.**She opened her mouth to argue, to refute his words and say that it would never happen, but a second voice cut in, giving her a start.

"Eli?" Lucas called from across the chamber. Eli spun on her heel, staring with wide eyes at the concerned face of Sparky. "Are you okay? I heard you talking to someone," he trailed off, glancing around the room cautiously. No one but Eli inhabited the room.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she stuttered nervously. How long had he been there? Had he heard the conversation? Was she really talking to herself? Did he think she was crazy? Fuck! Her head began to spin with the many unanswered questions bombarding her from every angle. What she wouldn't give for a high right now to ease her mental and physical pain. Lucas cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence, he made his way over.

"There's some bad juju in this place." Eli slowly nodded her head in agreement. She felt uneasy, cold and on edge inside the ritual chamber. The stagnant smell smothered her senses, making the air dense and hard to breathe. The soft rattling of bones and chains echoing did nothing for her nerves, causing her to twitch at every small sound she heard.

"Let's find a way out," he suggested. With one last look of concern, he began to search the dimly lit chamber. He groped along the walls and floor, in hopes of finding a concealed door hidden in the shadows.

Eli remained rooted, staring after Lucas, deeply anxious; she felt sick with fear that he had heard her speaking with seemingly no one. She couldn't help but wonder, would he tell Roy when they returned to Vaas's camp? Would he tell Charlie? No, he was—she stopped herself, shaking her head vehemently. He wasn't dead. He was _fine_, probably waiting impatiently for them to join him topside. A distant, deranged laugh caused her to jump forward in fright. Eli spun on her heel, searching the dark corners of the room; the candles flickered, shadows flashed tauntingly, confusing her senses. Eli frowned, brows furrowed pensively.

_Keep it together. _

"Hey, I think I found something!" Lucas called from across the room, snapping her out of her reverie. Eli strode towards him, stepping over the dried bones and broken urns scattered along the floor, she found the techie squatting behind a large stone sarcophagus that concealed a hole in the wall.

"What do you think?" He asked when Eli knelt beside him to inspect the dark, ominous hole leading to god knows where.

_Probably Hell._

"What's the foul smell?" Eli scrunched up her face with disgust; an overwhelmingly disgusting smell wafted from the depths of the unknown tunnel, causing her stomach to flip in protest.

"Ugh, that's sick!" Lucas gagged, turning his nose away. "As much as I _reall__y _don't want to go down there, I think there's a good chance we can find our way out. I can feel a faint breeze coming from inside." After agreeing to venture into the shaft, Lucas took point with his flashlight guiding the way. Eli crawled in after him, grunting and cursing from her injuries.

"How are you holding up back there?" Lucas asked, panting for breath; sweat dripped from his brow, soaking his already soiled clothes. He twisted awkwardly in the claustrophobic space, flashing his light in Eli's face, who gave him a glare.

"Enjoying the view?" He joked with a cheeky grin. Eli scowled, giving him her middle finger. Lucas merely laughed and continued on, inwardly relieved that Eli appeared to be somewhat calmer now. Still,_ why had she been talking to herself earlier?_

"What the hell is this?" Eli pitched with audible disgust. Lucas turned curiously, shining the torch behind him. Eli held up her hand, cringing at a sticky substance dripping between her fingers in thick tendrils. Slowly, she lifted her fingers towards her nose, and abruptly pulled away when the ungodly smell wafted up her nostrils, causing her to gag.

"Gross," Lucas mused, scrunching his face; the pustule smell of rotting flesh and decaying organs hung heavily in the air, overwhelming their senses, and sitting in the back of their throats like a heavy stone, choking their windpipes.

"Oh god," Eli wheezed, hastily wiping the sticky mess onto her pants. "It's everywhere!" She said, repulsed, glancing down at the ground, hissing at the sight of fresh and rotten entrails strewn along the tunnel floor; blood coagulated in messy pools, covering everything in a sanguine red. Bone fragments and tufts of hair stuck to her like glue, causing her to shudder..

"What the fuck is this place?!" Sparky exclaimed with horror, carefully nudging away a severed head of a goat; half rotten, with the meat barely hanging from the bones. Insects crawled through the cavity's of where the eyes once were, slowly eating away at the flesh.

"Fuck!" He gasped, pulling his hand away when a bug began to crawl up his arm.

"I don't care!" Eli spat through gritted teeth, disturbed to her very core that they were rolling around in entrails and blood. "Let's just get the hell out of here!"

"Have you still got a pistol?" He asked, brows furrowed pensively, he pulled his own gun from the holster on his waist, and flicked the safety off. A silent alarm rang in the back of his mind, setting him on edge. Something, or someone was down here, and judging from the mess it left, he sure as hell didn't think it was friendly.

"Yeah," she whispered back, apprehension pinching at her words. She cast the techie a questioning look before taking her gun in hand. One of the only things she had managed to keep hold of when they fell from the ledge. With great caution, they carried on with gritted teeth, trying with all their mental ability to ignore the gore seeping between their fingers and into their clothes.

"Hear that?" Sparky whispered, his voice barely audible to her ears. He slowed, coming to a stop, straining to listen in the darkness. "Sounded like a hiss."

"Or a growl," Eli mused, a deep frown of discontent pulling at her chapped lips. They carried on at a slower pace; the mess beneath became deeper, a thick sludge reaching up passed their wrists and knees, squelching with a sickening sound as they waded through the thick goo. Lucas suddenly stopped, causing Eli to collide face first with his backside; she grunted, shooting him an irritated glare.

"What?"

"The tunnel branches off here," he said, half distracted, staring down the depths of each chamber. Both equally dark and ominous as the other.

_Choices, choices._

The techie shined his torch down the right shaft, sweeping the light over the ridges and floor, cringing with disgust at the bloody mess strewn along the length of the chamber. A quiet shuffle in the dark caused Sparky to freeze; breath hitched painfully in his throat, his body turned to stone. Slowly, he turned the torch towards the other shaft, hand shaking with adrenalin, eyes widening with shock.

"Go right," he said in a quick whisper to an oblivious Eli, who waited impatiently behind him. She rose a brow at his tone, and leaned around him, she sucked in a quiet gasp at the sight of a Komodo Dragon laying in the tunnel, watching them with a predatory gaze. With great caution, they began to move; Lucas pressed himself into the tunnel wall, allowing Eli to squeeze by and down the other shaft.

"Go," he urged on, calmly making his way behind her. Lucas raised his pistol, training it on the Komodo Dragon that began to move closer towards them with agonizingly slow steps. Its long, pink tongue flicked out of its mouth, tasting their scent on the faint breeze. Tendrils of drool dripped from its mouth, infested with a deadly bacteria that could kill any animal, or man with a single bite; infecting their blood, giving them a slow, agonizing death.

"Shoot it," Eli whispered with urgency, watching the techie staring down the lizard as he began to crawl backwards. "Those things are aggressive and dangerous. We don't want it coming at us from behind in this fucking rabbit hole!"

Its tail began to curl, a curved weapon of armour plated scales, lined with hard bone beneath each one. The Komodo Dragon's throat began to puff out, tail flicking from side to side in a sign of warning. A low hiss came, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand on end. The reptile took a slow step forward; long claws scratching at the rough ground.

_Bang!_

The deafening noise of the shot rang sharply in their ears, rattling their teeth and bones. Lucas and Eli clamped their hands over their ears to drown out the nauseating sound that made their ears bleed and mind sing with agony. Slowly, the ringing died down to a faint buzz in the back of their head, something that would remain for sometime to come.

"We better get out of here. Those things usually live in groups." Lucas cringed, peering at her through narrow slits, creased from the pounding of the gong in his head.

"They live in groups?"

"Yes!" She spat impatiently, her volume much louder than the norm due to their temporarily dulled hearing. "Now come on, before we get eaten alive!" The sound of scratching and low throat hisses approaching from the opposite tunnel drove them on, pushing them further into the dark bowels of the shaft, crawling through the thick sludge of gore and blood that stuck to them like a second layer of skin.

"We've got company!" Lucas whispered with urgency. Glancing over his shoulder, he could hear the faint sound of claws scratching along the ground, followed by a chorus of throaty growls and hisses. He turned his torch behind him, cringing at the sight of a Komodo Dragon making its way up the shaft behind him.

"And I don't think its alone!" They picked up the pace, knees and hands slipping against the slick floor; spattering god knows what onto their faces, hair and arms. When Eli came to a sudden halt, Lucas began to panic. He started to shove at her backside to prompt her forward, but she remained rooted.

"Why did you stop?!"

"There's a wall in my way!" She spat back with irritation. A thick slab of stone stood in their way, hard and unyielding with no way around.

"Fuck!" Desperately, they felt around the walls in silent hope that they had missed a narrow gap or hole they could slip between. Luck was not on their side. They were trapped between a wall and the frenzied Komodo Dragons that crept ever closer.

_What are we going to do? If I shoot those fuckers, they'll just pile up and trap us in here like god damn sardines! _Lucas began to tremble from adrenalin and fear surging through his veins, shaking his very core. First Charlie, now this. He inwardly cursed his luck, and vowed that if he ever got out of here, he would beat Buck's face to a bloody pulp! It was his fault they were in this train wreck situation.

"God damn it, Sparky! Are you deaf?!" Eli snapped viciously, giving him a poisonous glare. She sat awkwardly behind him, her messy boot nudging him in the shoulder to gain his attention. The techie snapped out of his daydream, giving her a displeased frown.

"Snap out of it!"

"I'm trying to figure a way out of this mess!" He shot back in defence. Eli rolled her eyes, blowing a strand of hair from her face, she snatched his flashlight, pointing it upwards.

"Look," she said, gesturing above her. "It's a tunnel." Lucas sighed with relief.

"Thank god!"

"Oh, thank you _so_ much for finding us a way out, Eli! _You're the best!_" She muttered, words dripping with heavy sarcasm. Lucas waved her off.

"Ladies first."

"Damn right," she replied. Carefully, she managed to manoeuvre herself in the tight space, giving her enough room to stand. Her torso became swallowed in darkness, disappearing into the tunnel when she began to wedge herself between each side of the shaft, cautiously climbing her way up. Sparky copied her actions, moving at a much faster pace, spurred on by the hissing and scratching that drew closer. The shaft grew narrow, pressing them against the rough surface, squeezing the air from their lungs. Eli gasped for breath, exhausted from the climb, sweat cascaded across her skin, agitating her wounds. Her mouth felt dry and sore, every last drop of moisture consumed by an invisible cotton ball sitting in the back of her mouth, with tendrils of fire whipping at her throat.

The literal light at the end gave her hope, pushing her, stirring what little energy she held. With the last remaining strength she could muster, Eli reached the top of the tunnel and pulled herself up onto a ledge. She laid on the cold ground, chest heaving, dizzy and sick from the fatigue gripping her with an iron fist. Lucas joined her moments later, he laid beside her, sucking in the much needed air to fill his burning lungs.

"Where are we?" He wheezed, tilting his head to each side, unable to lift it any longer. Eli pulled herself from the floor with a grunt, and surveyed their surroundings. Another unusual chamber filled with artifacts and antiquities of all ages scattered around the room; large, statuesque dragons stood proudly at either side of the room, casting a dark shadow across the floor, obscuring the bright burst of light filtering through the roof of the cave. A sarcophagus took pride of place in the centre, surrounded by dried wreathes and offerings of ancient gold coins, decorated with an abundance of melted candles and trinkets.

"Oh, great, another creepy ritual chamber," Lucas sighed with defeat. The techie remained on the floor, watching as Eli got to her feet, carefully checking out the room for any signs of danger. When she found none, she began to light a few candles, igniting the room in a soft glow. She stood in front of the coffer, intrigued. The lid sat askew, allowing the contents to catch the light of her torch, blinding her in a flash of gold. Green eyes lit up with fire, dancing with delight. Eli reached down and picked up a small, perfectly carved figure head from inside. It was heavy for such a small thing; a comfortable weight in her palm. The texture cold, smooth, with intricate patterns and grooves expertly carved into the precious metal.

"Look what I found," she announced excitedly, flashing the curious techie a grin. Sparky's eyes widened and he immediately got to his feet, rushing over, he snatched the trinket from her grasp, inspecting it.

"No way!" He said with disbelief. He turned it over in his hands several times, prodding, poking, even biting it to make sure that it was real. Suddenly, he grinned, sighing with contentment.

"I can't believe we found it!"

"Found what?" An unexpected voice asked, causing the two mercs to jump with surprise. They spun around, hearts lodged in their throats, blood frozen in their veins. Their eyes widened at the sight of Charlie standing in the doorway, leaning against the statue of a dragon, gasping for breath.

Eli stared with disbelief at the sight of her companion. Her mind ground to a halt, her heart skipped painfully in her constricted chest; a tightness built up behind her eyes, a prickling sensation of a hundred needles biting into her skin. The tears fell unnoticed by her. All she could think of, all she could _see_, was Charlie, standing there with a lopsided grin on his face, blue eyes sparkling with visible relief.

"Doc!" Lucas cried out, rushing towards the medic with open arms. "Jesus Christ, I thought you were dead!" Emotion ran thick through his voice, fluctuation with each word, causing the techie to cringe.

"D-dude, I'm so glad you're alive!" He pulled Charlie into a tight embrace, clinging on for dear life; afraid that he would disappear into the shadows, no more than a mere illusion.

"You're killing me!" He sputtered, hissing from the hot pain shooting up his sides. Sparky abruptly pulled away, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, man. I'm just so fucking happy to see you!" Lucas grinned from ear to ear, eyes glistening with unshed tears; he blinked them away, a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to breathe once more.

"Are you two alright? Are you injured?" Charlie questioned with concern. The medic quickly fell back into his role with ease, worrying over his two comrades like a mother hen. Lucas shook his head.

"Nah, man, just a few scratches," Sparky shrugged, giving him a smirk. "Eli could do with a once over. Knocked that big head of hers on a rock," he said, giving a laugh that danced along the line of hysterical. Charlie frowned at his behaviour; the techie was in shock, dehydrated and hungry. Hell, he was too. He couldn't wait to see daylight again.

"Eli?" Lucas called when she remained silent. He glanced over his shoulder, brows furrowed at the sight of Eli kneeling on the ground, hand covering over her face, smothering the quiet sobs that shook her body. Charlie pushed passed the bewildered techie, hobbling over towards his commander, he awkwardly got down onto his knee, hissing when pain shot up his side.

"Hey," he called softly. Tentatively, he reached out, taking her hands in his, he pulled them away from her face, and slowly lifted her chin. "Are you alright?" Charlie felt his throat constrict at the sight of her wide, blood shot eyes with tears pouring down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" He'd never seen her in such a state before, and it worried him. They stared at each other for a long moment; neither spoke, nor dared breathe too loud. Charlie jumped with surprise when Eli suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him in a firm grip. The medic stroked her back in an even rhythm, inwardly hoping to quell the hard sobs that shuddered from her chest.

"I-i-" she began, unable to speak through the hard gasps rolling from her chest. "-thought-you-died-,"

"Hey," Charlie pulled her away from him, holding her at arm's length, he stared into her eyes. "I'm okay. I didn't die. Everything's alright," he spoke with firm reassurance, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Are you okay?" Eli slowly regained control of her breathing; the tears stopped, leaving her eyes puffy and red, laden with heavy fatigue. She nodded an affirmative, and Charlie sighed with relief.

"Good," he said, giving her a heart warming smile. "You got the artifact, correct?" She nodded once more.

"Then let's get out of this hell hole."

* * *

So, what do you think? Good? Bad? I am _so _relieved they are out of there. I can't tell you how difficult it was to write this! (Partly why it's taken so long to update). We get to see Vaas in the next one, yay!

Anyway, please let me know what you think. I'd greatly appreciate it.


	14. Chapter 14

Yeah, I know, huge delay in updating. I can't help it! I'm sorry.

Anyway, a big thank you to black-fl0wer and the Lady Artificer for their help with this!

Thank you to those who reviewed as well: TheGothPrincess, KelseyParryMP, SickMonkey89, Leonord, VaasFan, SereneSins, Xxsopoxx, Vaasfangirl and Goldbald. You guys are the best! I'm really trying to update on a regular basis, but it's just not happening. I want you to know that I am still invested into this and I want to continue! I have NO given up on it. I am trying my best. :)

Also, thank you to those who put this on alert, favourited and are following! You guys rock. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

Rated M for swearing.

Off we go~

* * *

An unbearably tense atmosphere hung above the three mercenaries; an invisible guillotine, threatening to fall on their heads. They sat stiff, backs ramrod frozen against their unyielding chairs. They stared at Buck, brows furrowed, lips pulled into a grim line, attempting to decipher whether or not the Australian was lying.

"You're kidding, right?" Lucas asked sceptically, eyes narrowed with caution, jaw clenching tight. Buck sighed dramatically, and ran a hand through his beard, fixing him with a bored stare.

"Do I look like I'm bloody joking?" Came the monotonous reply. The constant, quizzical stares from the gormless looking mercs, followed by repetitive, undermining questions began to grate on his nerves and he wondered, how the hell did these retards ever become mercenaries? Hadn't they noticed the yank waltzing around Bad town, trying a bit _too _hard to blend in? He stood out like a peacock in a chicken coup, for crying out loud!

"Why didn't you tell us there was an American agent here in Bad town?!" Charlie accused, shooting him a side-long glare from his sprawled out position on Buck's bed. The aforementioned man gave a nonchalant shrug, mouth twitching the faintest smirk. The medic sharply leaned forward, ready to lunge for the cocky, arrogant son of a bitch. Eli's arm came up in front of him, halting his movement, she shot him a stern, disapproving look that weighed him down, pinning him to the mattress. Buck, thoroughly enjoying the situation, carried on, speaking with an upbeat, aloof tone.

"He's got dirt on the lot of us, right down to the last peg on the totem pole."

"How do you know?" Lucas questioned sharply.

"That's for me to know, mate," Buck glanced up from the bottle of beer he tentatively held in his grasp, the contents warm, no longer satisfying his parched throat; he set it down onto the table with unnecessary force, studying them carefully, watching a mixture of emotions pass over their sweaty, bloodstained faces.

They sat pensive, withdrawn into their thoughts, each of them mulling over Buck's words with a sense of dread pitting in their stomachs. Volker was _not _going to be happy when he heard the news. In the past, the drug lord had almost burst a blood vessel at a ghostly rumour floating around the compound, whispers of a Government spy on _his _island, poking around _his _business.

Eli cast Buck a sidewards glance, suspicious of his lack of action and vague responses. He caught her probing, narrowed gaze and returned it with a mocking grin; tilting his head to the side, he winked at her playfully, stirring the unsettled anger brewing in her gut.

"Tell me," she began, more bite in her voice than intended. Eli straightened in her chair, shifting slightly to alleviate the ache in her muscles. "Why haven't you informed Volker?"

Buck rested his leg on his knee, the other bobbing up and down, tapping against the floor in an annoying manner. "Why should I?"

"Obligation?" Charlie countered, giving him a bewildered frown. Buck merely laughed, somewhat charmed by the medic's loyalty and sense of duty. So _sweet. _Buck just wanted to reach out and grab a fistful of his hair right there and then, wipe that smile off of his pretty face with the sharp end of his knife until he bled all over the floor. He snapped out of his twisted little daydream and fixed his eyes onto Lucas, who immediately grew tense, squirming beneath his sharp gaze.

"Where's the fun in that?" He stated, clean and simple, before taking another swig of his beer, momentarily forgetting it had grown warm; his face scrunched up with visible disgust, before he reluctantly swallowed, giving a satisfied noise from his gulp of alcohol. "Besides, it's much more fun watchin' you lot run around doin' Volker's dirty work." A condescending smile crept onto his weathered features.

"So!" Buck said with an upbeat tone. "What are you little rippers goin' to do about it, hm?" The Australian propped his muddy boots up onto the table, almost knocking their bottles of beer to the floor with his graceless movements.

"First things first, we need to get back to base, patch up and notify the bosses," Eli said, a cold tone creeping into her voice. She could barely stand to look at Buck at that moment, disgusted by his lack of compassion for their misfortune down in the cave, and by his obvious lack of loyalty. After they had fought their way out of the cave, struggling at every twist and turn, they breathed a sigh of relief once out in the cool night air. Eli had immediately called Buck from her damaged satellite phone, inwardly pleased that it still worked.

When the Australian _finally _picked up on the other end, he sounded none too pleased, remarking that she had disturbed his playtime with a new acquaintance of his. Unpleasant names, childish retorts and profanity had been thrown around in an attempt to get the hitman to pick them up from their location. He dilly-dallied, saying he had more important matters to attend to and that he would fetch them in the morning, if he remembered. That was, until Eli had threatened to throw his precious trinket over the nearest waterfall unless he came and got them _**right now. **_Buck had relented (finally) and hung up. Three miserable hours later, he finally emerged from the dense undergrowth, machete in hand, drenched in sweat. He didn't look pleased to see them. At all. The car ride back had been tense, uncomfortable. They all sat in the back, crammed next to one another, half sitting in each others lap, half falling out of the Jeep. None of them were willing to put themselves next to Buck.

Finally, after a bumpy, hair-raising ride back to Bad town, they arrived. He had all but thrown them out of his Jeep, demanding that they hand over the trinket and _fuck off, _as he so graciously put it. Eli held her ground, staring pitchforks from the fiery depths of Hell into his eyes, saying that if her comrades didn't receive medical attention now, he would never lay eyes on his stupid artifact. She played a dangerous game, one that Buck clearly didn't appreciate. He took a threatening step towards her, fists curled at his sides, brows furrowed with deep aggravation. But Eli had stood still as a stone, chin raised, staring into his eyes with an air of defiance. After a few, tense moments, Buck grinned, giving her an amused look, before turning on his heel and leading them back to his shanty, where he asked a passing boy to fetch the local doctor.

The sound of Buck's loud, condescending scoff cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She turned her head, gazing at him with unhidden contempt.

"You're a bit of a stickler for the rules, aye?"

"Someone has to be, when you clearly aren't." He laughed at her retort, amused by the little spitfire.

"I knew you little shits would want in on this, so why should I go through all the trouble when I could just get you to do it for me?" Eli sighed heavily through her nose, irritated by his evasive words. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer so they could leave? Pushing her growing frustration aside, she barreled on, eager to find out about this agent.

"How long has he been here?" Buck paused for a moment, finger resting on his chin in thought.

"I dunno, a month?" Came the uncaring, bored response. His head lulled forward, giving them a tired stare. "How the fuck should I know? Volker doesn't pay me to keep fuckin' tabs on anyone." Lucas rolled his eyes. What _did _Volker pay him for, exactly? It didn't seem like he did much of anything these days. And he was horrible company. He had a hard time picturing the drug lord and Australian sitting in the same room, having a civil conversation.

"Do you know why he's here?" Eli continued, staring at him intensely from beneath her furrowed brows.

"Haven't the foggiest!"

"Then what _do _you know?" Eli bit sharply, mouth pulling tight, she clamped down on the back of her teeth, an attempt to stop herself spitting proverbial poison in his stupid, ugly face.

"All I fuckin' know is this yank popped up out of no where and he's keepin' tabs on all of us," he said, voice steadily raising with a tone of annoyance. "Why don't you little shits go take a look for yourselves instead of pesterin' me?"

"Where is he?" The medic demanded with disdain. Buck's face immediately brightened at the sound of his voice and he smiled, eyes shimmering mischievously.

"Well now, why would I tell you?" He teased, head tilting to the side. "That would ruin all the fun!" Eli's chair creaked audibly, catching the room's occupants attention. She sat on the edge of her seat, giving but a threatening glare.

"Stop playing games, Buck," she spat menacingly, teeth grit together, fingers curled into a tight fist. The hitman appeared unaffected by her intimidating stance and, much to Eli's annoyance, ignored her heavy gaze by staring at his grubby fingernails instead.

"Stop being such a whiny little cunt," he shot back casually, still staring at his fingers with deep fascination. Eli growled quickly, ready to lunge for him at any moment. God, she hated this guy! Why the fuck did she have to deal with him?

Buck swung his legs from the table top and abruptly stood, stretching his arms above his head, giving them a full view of the tattoo splayed across his chest. The Australian gave a groan, sighing with satisfaction when his joints gave a loud _pop!_

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked sharply, watching the man slowly ascend the stairs. Buck slowly turned, glancing at them from over his shoulder, he flashed Lucas an eerie smile that caused his skin to crawl.

"As much as I enjoy watching you like sit around like whimpering pups, I've got a date with the local fisherman, if you know what I mean," Buck said suggestively. Turning to face them, he thrust his hips towards them in demonstration, barking in laughter at the looks of repulsion on their faces.

"You shits better be gone before I get back!" He called from the top of the stairs, giving them a meaningful look. The door slammed behind him, rattling the walls and shaking the table. They shared a simultaneous sigh of relief, grateful to have a moment's peace without him. The anger bubbling inside Eli vanished, whisking away any ounce of energy she held moments before. She slouched into her chair, head resting on the back, and stared up at the ceiling in a haze of blissful emptiness.

"Can I kill him, please?" Charlie's voice snarled, breaking the momentary lapse of silence. The medic steamed with anger, desperate to put a bullet in the perverted man's skull, spilling his toxic blood into the mud, where it belonged.

"As much as we'd all like you to, you can't, sorry," Eli said with a heavy sense of regret. With Buck out of the way, their lives would be so much simpler. Well, almost. They still had Vaas and Volker to deal with. _Great. _

Doc sniffed loudly, displeased with the refusal. "We should head back." Lucas turned to the medic, eyeing his injuries.

"Maybe you should rest for a while," he said. The medic shook his head in protest.

"I do _not _want to be here any longer than I have to," he spat with audible disgust, lips curling with his words. "This place is..." he trailed off, eyes glancing around the run down shanty and over the unusual, macabre trinkets Buck kept. "...who knows what that maniac has been doing down here."

With that said, all of them looked around with a new sense of repulsion. Eli quickly stood, attempting to act casual as she brushed down her clothes. Lucas followed suit, absent-mindedly scratching at his neck and arms, shuddering when a hundred different thoughts flitted through his mind. Charlie flung his legs over the side of the cot, wincing when the pain shot up his side, stabbing at his fresh stitches.

"I'm not a cripple!" He spat with annoyance, glaring at Lucas's outstretched hand. The techie backed off, holding his hands out in front of him in surrender, waiting patiently for the medic to gain his balance. They did a quick supply check, rummaging through what little belongings remained from their expedition into the cave. They stared at the single pistol on the table with a grim frown.

"I call dibs," Lucas called, snatching the gun from the table. A hand slammed down on top of his, halting his movements. Charlie gave him a narrowed glare.

"If anyone gets our _single _weapon, it's Eli," he told the frowning techie.

"Why?"

"Because she's a better shot than you!" He snapped. Lucas huffed, releasing his hold on the weapon, he gave Eli a glare.

"What?" She asked in confusion, brows raised with visible innocence. "I didn't say anything!" She felt inwardly pleased though. From the medic's praise, and getting to hold their only defence. She felt a lot safer and confident with the familiar piece in her grasp.

"How long were we in that bloody cave?" Charlie hissed, holding a hand over his red-rimmed eyes to block out the unrelenting sun, that hit them with an unseen force, almost pushing them back into the dark shanty.

"Judging from the position of the sun, It's around nine in the morning, which means we were in there for just over twenty-six hours," Eli announced, cringing at her own words. They had been gone far too long for her liking. She inwardly wondered if Vaas had noticed their long absence. _Probably not. _Knowing the pirate lord, he was most likely out of his mind on drugs and alcohol. Suddenly, Eli felt insanely jealous of the man. She desperately needed a high. And a beverage that didn't taste like a week old cat piss.

"Let's get back to the fucking boat before I keel over," Lucas huffed, unceremoniously dragging Charlie along with his arm over his shoulder, much to the medics chagrin. They walked with an air of forced confidence through town, trying their best not to look weak or nervous. Eli took point, eyes darting from one building to the next. Despite their battered and bruised appearance, the locals shied away, jumping into their homes, bolting the doors and slamming their windows shut. When the mercenaries clapped eyes on their boat sitting on the shoreline, they all but fell to the floor with relief.

"You can let me go now," Charlie huffed indignantly, pouting slightly from embarrassment. Lucas shrugged the medic off, leaving him swaying unevenly on the sandy incline next to Eli. "I call the helm!" The techie announced hastily, making his way towards the boat with a new sense of vigour, he jumped in, sighing with contentment at the familiar cold, dull exterior of metal and plastic.

_I can't wait to get back to camp and take a shower. _He mused, catching a whiff of the ungodly odour rolling off his sweaty, torn clothes. Eli and Charlie joined him a few moments later. The medic ungraciously pulled himself into the boat, flopping onto the floor, resting his head against the side; he had no problems with allowing Lucas and Eli to take charge. Even if they were both maniacs behind any wheel.

The waters were quiet, only a few of the pirates patrolled up and down; they greeted the mercenaries with a polite hand gesture, allowing them to pass without incident. Eli glanced down at Charlie, she couldn't help but grin when she saw him sprawled out along the floor, sound asleep with his mouth hanging open, brows furrowed in a deep dream.

The cool ocean breeze whipped around them pleasantly, clearing their senses with a calm caress across their skins. Lucas stood at the helm, lazily steering the boat along the still water. They were almost there, he could see the shoreline gradually growing closer. His stomach flipped with anticipation and joy; man, was he eager to get back.

"Ahoy!" He called to the pirate standing on the dock. He waved his arms back and forth before steering the boat towards them. The pirates caught the thick rope Eli tossed towards them, tying it with a secure knot. Lucas clamoured out, slinging his pack onto the floor with a thud; he glanced back at the others, smirking when he saw Eli squatting next to the sleeping medic.

"Wakey wakey," she whispered into his ear. Eli pulled back, face screwing up with impatience when he didn't stir. She reached forward and pinched his cheeks softly, earning a grunt of annoyance from the man. Blue eyes fluttered open, narrowing into a glare at the sight of Eli's grinning face; he swatted her intrusive hands away, muttering something along the lines of _'immature'_ and_ 'can't get a momen__t's__ peace'._

Eli rolled her eyes and stood, waiting for him to join her. "We're here," she announced on a breath of relief. Charlie glanced around the boat in a daze, surprised that they had arrived so soon. It felt like he'd only just nodded off! He shook his head, pushing away the gripping exhaustion weighing down his muscles and eye lids.

"Do I have to stand here like a lemon all day, or are you going to accept my hand?" Eli snapped curtly, staring down at the medic with frustration. Charlie slapped his hand into her palm with unneeded force and allowed himself to be roughly yanked onto his feet. He grumbled a half-hearted thanks, before getting out of the boat, limping after the two mercs ahead of him.

Eli came to a halt at the end of the docks, eyes sweeping across the camp. She felt strangely comforted by the familiar sights and sounds of the pirates meandering around, tending to their daily tasks. Loud shouts and swearing, mixed with the pungent smell of blood, rust and booze carried across the base, pleasantly assaulting her senses. Seeing the life buzzing all around her made Eli feel at ease.

"Alphas!" All heads turned sharply to the side at the call of their team name. The merc's faces lit up like a Christmas tree; eyes dancing with mirth, cheeks aching from the wide, unstrained grins on their dirty faces. Eli wanted to run, but her muscles refused, exhausted, rooted to the ground.

"Teddy!" They shouted in unison, watching the large man striding over. His jet black hair bounced from his quick pace; a toothy grin on his tanned face, framed by his peppered stubble. He stopped in front of them, dark eyes roaming over each of the mercenaries, a tinge of worry notable in his faltering smile.

"You guys look like shit!" Teddy said with light humour, but the concern still remained. "You guys decide to roll around in shit? Because that's what you smell like," he said, pulling away with a grimace to accentuate his meaning.

"Hey!" Lucas barked with annoyance. "You have _no _idea what bullshit we had to go through!" Teddy ignored the sharp glare Sparky gave him and, much to his irritation, patted the smaller man on the head. He turned his attention towards Charlie; the warm smile slipped from his face.

"You okay, man?" He asked Charlie, whom stood awkwardly, favouring one side; he squinted up at Teddy, panting for breath. Sweat beaded on his clammy skin, rolling across his cheeks, dripping from his nose.

"Oh, yeah, just peachy!" He said through baited breath. "There's nothing I enjoy more than being a useless sack of shit!" Teddy laughed at his words and slapped the medic on his good arm.

"I see your charming personality is still intact!"

"Teddy, you magnificent beast!" Eli greeted, voice pitching with audible excitement. "We've missed you!" Her eyes sparkled with an unfamiliar emotion, one they hadn't seen for a long time now. She smiled up at him, beaming with joy. Teddy mirrored her expression.

"I've missed you lunatics too," he said, taking a step forward, giving them each the obligatory fist bump in greeting. Much less painful than having to suffer a hug from him. "C'mon, Doc, let's get you to bed," Teddy said, taking hold of his arm, fully supporting his weight. "You need a nap," he joked, playfully winking at Charlie.

* * *

"Look into the camera, sweetheart," Vaas purred, his voice low and velvety; lips dangerously close to the trembling girls ear, he gently gripped the back of her neck, tilting her head towards the camera positioned in front of them. Slowly, she turned, wide, stricken eyes glued to the lens. She snivelled loudly, sobs rippling through her shuddering chest. She begged and pleaded, desperately trying to keep the pirates from hurting her further. It was useless. _Futile. _

Vaas began to circle around the chair she sat bound to, gag in her mouth, soaked from tears and blood dripping from the fresh cut on her cheek. She could taste the salt and copper on her tongue, stirring a sickness in her knotted stomach; she could barely see passed the ugly, swollen sore covering over her once vibrant blue eyes that once held so much hope and passion. Now, a dim, flickering colour that faded with the darkness encompassing her soul. Vaas began to rattle off the standard procedure: what to do, what to say. If she complied, he would let her go back to her cage, unharmed. If she didn't, well, the pirate lord merely laughed, giving her a sadistic grin that made his eyes dance with fires of malice.

The pirate lord had been standing in the dark cove all morning, consumed with the task of filming his latest batch of victims, orchestrating a beautiful master piece of heart wrenching pleas to their families, instructing them to send an approximate amount of money, or risk the lives of their loved one. Vaas never understood the mentality of it all. Deep down, these people _knew _they were going to die. He wished they would just shut the fuck up and accept that fact. Instead, they sat there, sniffling like a baby, begging for their loved ones to save them. It was all very grating.

He absent-mindedly listened to the young woman carefully reading from the script held up by a pirate just in front of her. Voice pitching with each word, wavering in fear and despair. _Good_. That always cinched the deal. He loved it when they put such raw emotion into the videos. Once they had finished, Vaas gave a slow, patronizing clap. He congratulated her on the wonderful performance, saying she did well. And for that, he told the girl she could go back to her cage, where three more victims were being held. Relieved, she bowed her head, allowing the pirates to drag her ungraciously from the chair, disappearing into the depths of the cave, thrown into a piss stained cage with dry vomit and blood.

Vaas plopped down into a chair, feet slamming onto the table top; he leaned back, arms folded behind his head. He watched the wisps of smoke dance from the cigar in his mouth, curling into a hypnotic dance, filling the room with a toxic fog. He began to picture himself standing on the ledge of a cliff, gazing down at the vast land beneath him. He was so tall, so _powerful. _From up here, he could crush the tiny insects scuttling around beneath him. All he had to do was lift his boot and end it all if he so wished. But he wouldn't. No. He would enjoy making them suffer. Picking them off one by one with-A voice called his name, abruptly ended his _peaceful_ moment. Vaas scowled, shooting the intruder a cold glare.

"What the fuck do you want?" He spat viciously, contempt visible in his wild eyes. Vaas felt exhausted, running dangerously low on energy. He longed for something to help him get through the day. He was _bored _with this. The same shit everyday. His mind suddenly drifted to the mercenaries; his only source of entertainment these days. They had brains and brawn, something he thoroughly enjoyed toying with. After all, who wants to mess around with witless oafs that could barely count passed the fingers on their hands?

"Just got a call from base. Those mercenaries are back," the man informed, fixing his gaze on the floor just in front of him, seemingly counting the cracks in the stone floor. A smirk twitched at the pirate lord's mouth. They were back? Suddenly, he felt invigorated. _Excited. _Vaas knocked the chair back in his haste to stand. All too eager to get out of the dark cave and return to his camp. He always got a good kick out of torturing the prisoners and making ransom videos, but after a while, it all began to blur. The same shit, just different faces. Hell, even the words were practically the same. A name change here and there and _boom! _Heartfelt plea for help. Done. So the chance to play with fresh meat excited him.

The cigar fell to the floor, forgotten, no longer needed to satisfy his needs. Vaas strode out of the cave, passed the several pirates sitting at tables, cutting the fresh product and cages teeming with victims and out into the blinding light. He paused, hand raised over his eyes, spouting obscene words directed at the unrelenting sun. The pirate lord announced their immediate departure, causing the men to run around in a frenzy, gathering up their weapons and belongings before jumping into their vehicles.

"All done here, boss?" One of his men inquired, slinging his pack into the back of the Jeep. Vaas flickered his stare from the jungle scenery, latching onto the man's suddenly stricken face; he narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing, deeply scrutinizing the scrawny excuse of a man in front of him. What kind of question was that?

"No, shit head, I'm just sitting in this fucking Jeep because I've got nothing better to do with my time!" He snapped impatiently, making the pirate jump with surprise. "I thought to myself 'Hey, why not go sit outside on my fucking ass, get a tan, watch those retarded pirates attempting to clean a gun without shooting themselves in their GOD DAMN FACES!" He took a tentative step back, visibly afraid of the volatile pirate lord. Vaas's knuckles turned pale from the tight grip in which he held the leather seat to keep himself from reaching for the gun on his waist.

"Yes, hermano, we're _done,_" Vaas snarled, giving him a look of disgust. When the man remained rooted, his temper snapped. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE BEFORE I GIVE YOU A SECOND HOLE TO BREATHE OUT OF!" He gave a pitiful noise of fright and sharply turned on his heel, stumbling in the sand from his haste. Vaas spat on the floor, repulsed by the man's apparent lack of balls. Who the fuck was hiring these clowns? If they were scared of a verbal beat down, how the hell were they supposed to take back the island? Vaas sighed, his good mood all but gone. He sat tensely in his seat, teeth ground together from frustration. He almost punched his driver out of annoyance because he took too long starting the vehicle.

_Fucking morons! _He stewed, sitting with his arms crossed firmly over his chest, nails digging into his arms to subdue the irrational anger poking beneath the surface. By the time they had arrived back at the base, it was high noon. The pirate lord jumped out of his vehicle, making a bee line for his shanty. The other pirates gave him a wide berth, unwilling to even make eye contact with him in fear he would direct his wrath at them, reducing them to a puddle of piss he so often did.

He marched up to the familiar shanty door, fist banging onto the rusted metal. Vaas paused for no more than a second, before pushing it open and stepping inside. He had expected her to shout at him, whip out a sarcastic comment or threaten to maim him, but it was still, silent. Only the soft sound of an old fan touched his ears, rattling with each turn of the blades. Vaas tilted his head curiously, striding over towards the bed, he glanced down at Eli, who was out for the count. She slept on the covers, in a tank top and three quarter length pants, covered in a light sheen of sweat.

Vaas sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her expectantly. When she didn't stir, he grinned mischievously. The pirate lord began to poke her ribs, cheeks and even lightly tapping her rump, much to his own amusement, she never moved. He tilted his head to the side, watching the rhythmical rise and fall of her chest. What the hell had they been doing? He wondered, eyeing the freshly stitched injuries on her face and the bandages wrapped around her palms. He sighed, frustrated. He'd had such _plans _on how to torture her. Now what? The fleeting thought of smothering her with her own pillow to wake her up crossed his mind. The picture of her flailing around brought a grin to his face and he almost did it, only to stop short of grabbing her pillow, unable to bring himself to. He didn't want her to wake up in a piss-foul mood. Where would the fun be in that?

The pirate lord made himself at home. Poking around her belongings, taking the last cold beer in the fridge, along with the protein bar Eli had been saving. He sat at her table, feet propped up, chewing obnoxiously loud. He silent, listening to Eli's soft, quiet breaths and the occasional rustle of bed sheets.

* * *

Consciousness began to return, filling her senses with the soft sounds of her shanty and the overwhelming humidity hanging in the air. Eli groaned, brows furrowed with annoyance, she lifted her arm, resting it on her sweaty forehead, giving herself a moment to regain her bearings. Her lead laden eyes fluttered open, staring lazily up at the ceiling, half there, half asleep still. She could have laid there forever if left undisturbed. Her body was heavy, _dead. _If someone threw a bucket of water over her, she would be in Heaven.

Slowly, she turned onto her side. Mind groggy and eyes blurred, she could barely make out the shape of a person sitting at her table. Wait, a person? Eli bolted up right in bed, fully awake, mind on alert, she instinctively reached for the knife beneath her pillow, clutching it tightly.

"Jesus fucking _christ!" _Eli swore loudly, startled by his sudden appearance. "What the hell are you doing in here?!" Oh god. Had he been watching her sleep? She cringed at that thought. That would be _weird. _

As if reading her mind, he replied. "Oh, you know, just watching you sleep," he teased with a grin, pleased when he saw her shudder.

Eli narrowed her eyes. "I hope to God that's a joke," she seethed. Vaas chuckled.

"Don't worry, hermana, I have better things to do than watch you fucking sleep, okay?" Eli sighed with relief.

"What are you doing here?" Vaas shrugged.

"I wanted to check in with my favourite dog," he said nonchalantly, picking the grime beneath his nails. "Did you have a good trip, huh? Nice little vacation?"

"Peachy," she snapped tiredly. Eli swung her legs over the side of the bed—_discarding her knife onto the bed_—she made a bee-line for the fridge, desperate for a drink. A deep frown pulled at her lips when she opened the door, greeted by a bright light and empty shelves. She glanced over the edge of the door, shooting him a glare. _Bastard stole my beer! _

"I'm so glad you're back, you know? The place has been kind of lonely whilst you've been gone," he said with dramatic sigh of forlorn. "No one to fetch my beer or pick up the dog shit around the camp. Kind of sad, eh?" She almost scoffed at his words, but kept her mouth firmly shut. Vaas sat in her chair, watching her hawkishly with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes, one that set her on edge.

"Oh, what, you've been on a little trip and suddenly you don't want to talk to me? Hm? What's wrong? You don't like me now? Huh?" He snapped tempestuously, giving her a cold glare. "Am I not entertaining enough for you now?" _What the hell was his problem? _

"I don't have time for your fucking games, Vaas." The pirate lord abruptly stood from his seat, making his way towards her. The fridge door slammed shut when he pushed Eli against it, closing the small space between them; their noses almost touching, his hot breath blew across her face, the scent of beer and tobacco tingling up her nose. She felt incredibly vulnerable in that moment. Weak, disorientated and unable to fight.

"That's too fucking bad, hermana, because whilst you were gone, I was _really _bored," he whispered in a deep, husky tone. Vaas reached out, gently laying his hands on her shoulders, firmly gripping with his fingers. "I did a little, uh, digging," he paused, giving her a wink. "And guess what I found, hm? That's right! I found some treasure!" Vaas reached down with one hand, fishing through his pocket, he pulled out a small, plastic baggy with brightly colour pills inside. Her eyes widened at the familiar sight, mouth parting with surprise.

"Where did you get that?" She questioned sharply, voice dipping dangerously low, she gave the laughing pirate lord a fierce glare that would turn any man to stone.

"Ah, so you recognize it, hm? That's good," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's a shame, you know, you're almost out of the good stuff!" Eli swiftly reached up to grab the baggy, but Vaas saw her movements and pulled it out of her reach.

"Ah ah!" He mocked, wagging his finger back and forth. "I don't think so, hermana," he grinned mischievously. Eli clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms, irritating the fresh stitches. She mustered every ounce of restraint that she could to stop herself from punching him in his stupid, obnoxiously grinning face.

"You look so cute when you're mad!" Vaas teased, reaching up and stroking her face. Eli abruptly pulled away, giving him a deadly hiss. "You should be nicer to me, hermana. Remember these?" He ran a finger over the silver chain dangling around his neck, and pulled the tags from beneath his vest, swinging them tauntingly in front of her face. "You'll never fucking see them again if you don't behave!" Vaas warned, eyes filled with dark promise. "We still have a week left. And until then, I fucking _own_ you!"

Her temper sky rocketed, sending a spike of adrenalin shooting through her veins; her shoulders began to tremble, muscles winding tighter with each passing second. Eli sucked in deep, calming breathes to steady herself, but it did little good with Vaas standing in front of her, a mocking grin on his face, stoking her pyre of rage.

"Your nostrils flare when you're angry, did you know that?" He teased, eyes dancing with mirth. "And your mouth does this fucking weird, twitch. Looks like you're having a stroke."

_Restrain yourself, _she inwardly told herself, holding back her tongue, listening to the pirate lord continue his tangent.

"You know, it's not this piece of shit I would be concerned about if I were you," he told her, a sly grin crept onto his face. "See, your private stash of party drugs wasn't the only thing I discovered! Oh no, I found some little journals too." _No! _She screamed internally. He had found her journals. _Fuck!_ What was he going to do with them? She inwardly fretted, conjuring all sorts of mad ideas the pirate lord would use against her.

"What do you want?" She ground out, teeth firmly clamped together to keep her poisonous tongue at bay. Vaas tapped his chin in thought, and began to slowly pace up and down in front of her. He would pause for a brief moment, cast his gaze onto her, before scrunching up his nose in disapproval and continued to walk up and down.

"What do I want? Hm, let's see..." he drawled out, hands on his hips, he tilted his head back, gazing up at the blue sky. "How about you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, shamelessly eyeing her up and down. The pirate lord barked with laughter at the disgusted frown pulling at her mouth.

"Don't worry, hermana, the only thing I'd do to you right now is set you on fire to get rid of that fucking stench you're carrying," he joked darkly with a mad grin. A part of her knew he wouldn't hesitate to do so if Volker hadn't forbade him from physically harming them. Eli sniffed, taking in her own scent. Did she really smell that bad, even after scrubbing her skin raw? _He's probably just being a dick. _

"You're no fucking fun," he sighed, disappointed by the lack of response he was receiving. How was he supposed to toy with her if she wasn't going to play her part? He found it fucking annoying when she did this. Vaas rolled his eyes, frown on his face, he strode over to her bed, flopping down onto the mattress, muttering 'fucking bitch' on a breath.

"What the fuck happened to you anyway? You look like shit," he asked with vague interest, staring up at the ceiling, drawing unseen patterns in the wood. Eli sighed, leaning heavily into the refrigerator to keep herself upright. Vaas always had a way of sapping every ounce of energy, mental and physical, leaving her feeling sick and weak. It was disconcerting. She knew deep down, Vaas frightened her. He could change from mildly tolerable to a raving psychopath with the drop of a hat. How was she supposed to manage that? She was surprised she'd made it this far.

After a long pause of silence, she gave a sigh and made her way over towards him; surprising herself and Vaas when she sat down on the bed next to him, back pressed against the wall. "Buck sent us into an abandoned mine shaft," she began to explain, voice thick with fatigue. "The locals had unearthed a tomb of sorts, and he wanted us to go fetch some bloody gold figure head in exchange for Intel," Eli reached up and ran a hand across her forehead, working away the tension behind up.

"Let's just say it didn't go as planned," she groaned, remembering the bridge, the fall, and then waking up half dead. "Fucking bastard," she muttered angrily, fists clenching at her sides. Vaas turned his head to the side, watching her with mild amusement as she began to tell him what happened. The fall, the current, waking up to find Charlie gone and trying to find their way out.

"I hate that guy," she added, glaring at the far wall with contempt. "You're actually quite charming in comparison to that twat." She wasn't sure why she said it, but when she had, Eli immediately wished she could take it back, especially after the _strange _look Vaas gave her. One filled with confusion and amusement. He stared at her, brow arched inquisitively.

"Okay, well—maybe not _charming, _more like less of a dick, but, uh, you get what I mean," she stuttered nervously, incredibly uncomfortable with the situation. She hadn't meant for it to sound like a compliment, but that's exactly how it came out and she cringed. Praising him was the last thing she wanted to do. _Ugh. _

"So, anyway," Eli quickly began, desperately changing the subject when Vaas gave her a sly smirk. "That Intel he gave us," she trailed off, stealing a sidelong glance at the pirate lord, mood growing sombre. "Buck told us that there's a government agent living incognito on the island." Her words instantly made Vaas tense. He sat bolt up right, staring at her intensely.

"What?" He questioned harshly. "A fucking agent?" Eli quickly nodded.

"American." Vaas swiftly stood, pacing up and down in front of her, hands on his hips, brows furrowed pensively.

"_Fuck!_" He swore loudly, brows creased with tension. "Does the boss know?" He questioned, referring to Volker.

"No, not yet."

"Good." Eli's brows rose in surprise. _Good? _Why was that good? "Do _not _fucking tell him, okay? He will torch the fucking island trying to find that bastard," Vaas seethed, pinning her with a fierce look to convey his meaning.

"You want me to _lie?" _Eli asked sharply, appalled. Vaas came to a halt, spinning on his heel, he gave her with a cold, dark glare.

"No, Princess, I want you to keep your fucking mouth shut!"

"Do you have any idea what Volker will do if he finds out about this?"

"_If _he find out," Vaas said pointedly, a hard bite to his words. "You fucking tell him, and I'll gut you and those little bitches in your sleep. Comprende?" The pirate lord threatened darkly with a demonic look on his face, he stared at her expectantly.

"Comprende," she reluctantly agreed, turning her gaze away from him. What the fuck had she gotten herself into now? "What if he finds out?" She questioned with quiet concern and began to chew on her bottom lip anxiously. Hadn't she been berating Buck about this exact same thing earlier? God, what a hypocrite she was turning out to be.

"He won't, okay?" Vaas told her with strong conviction. "Unless you or those shit heads tell the boss, he won't find out. So stop your bullshit worrying, hermana. It makes you look ugly."

Eli turned to him, offended, and gave him a dirty look. "So _charming,_" she spat sarcastically.

"Want to fuck me yet?" He retorted in amusement, lifting his brows in a suggestive manner.

"When Hell freezes over, I'll be sure to look for you," Eli replied with a sickly sweet smile. Vaas shrugged.

"Your loss," came his aloof reply. A strange, comfortable silence soon followed. Vaas began to poke around her shanty, picking up her books, turning them over in his palms before setting it back where he'd found it. Eli found it odd that the pirate lord seemed to have some sort of appreciation for books. _What else is there to do in this Hell hole besides reading? _Then a terrifying thought jolted through her brain, causing her to immediately tense. He was going to read her journals. He was going to find out about her _life. _Fuck.

_Don't think about it. Calm down. Think about something else._

Her mind did a complete one-eighty, bringing her to an even more disturbing place. She noticed how _handsome _Vaas looked when he didn't have a perpetual scowl on his face or a deranged grin. He thumbed through the book with a content expression. It looked so _weird _and normal. It was actually kind of creepy. Damn, he was good looking.

_What the fuck, Eli? _She inwardly cringed, beginning an internal verbal debate with herself. Because, you know, that's perfectly healthy.

_Just because he's a psychopath, a complete dick and apparently a thief, doesn't mean he can't be good looking._

_He's still a murdering maniac. Which kind of makes him a little bit ugly on the outside too, you know?_

_Hello, mercenary? Kill for a living? What do you care?_

_Why the hell am I arguing with myself!? I really am crazy. For God's sake._ Suddenly annoyed with herself, she began to think of all the horrible things the pirate lord had done to her, hoping to quell this disturbing fascination with him. He was a dick. He had stolen from her and threatened to kill her on multiple occasions over trivial things. And who know's how many possible diseases he'd contracted from the prostitutes in Bad Town. Ick.

_Vaas is ugly._

_Disgusting._

_I don't want to touch him at all. _

_Stop looking at him then! _

Eli's grip on the bed sheets increased, and she found herself unintentionally glaring daggers his way, which prompted the pirate lord to raise a brow in question. "Something on my fucking face, hermana?" Inwardly, she calmed, telling herself that she'd get them back. One way or another. Act normal. Don't let him see it bothers you.

"I-uh, I was just thinking," she fumbled, only to be interrupted by a smart ass comment from Vaas.

"Try not to hurt yourself, hermana," he teased, flashing her a grin. Eli rolled her eyes, muttering a curse under her breath.

"What are we going to do about the American agent?"

"Find him and fucking kill him."

"Just like that?" Eli asked skeptically. Did he really think it would be that easy? Yep, probably. After all, the pirate lord was pretty pig headed.

"Just like _that,_" he repeated, snapping his fingers to accentuate his meaning. "Maybe we can bring him back to camp. You know, show him around, introduce him to our other guests. I'm sure he'd fucking love to meet them," he grinned savagely, conjuring up all sorts of twisted ideas in his head especially for the Agent. After all, he'd be their honoured guest. Only the best for his VIPs. _What fun. _

Eli tensed when Vaas came to kneel on the bed in front of her, arms on either side of her, she leaned back, head bumping into the wall. Vaas stared at her, gaze flicking between her lips and eyes for a few moments. "Let's keep this shit between us," he whispered low, velvety. He leaned closer, face hovering inches from her own. Eli remained frozen, staring widely into his eyes. And suddenly, he snatched her face with his hand, fingers digging into her cheeks. "If you tell anyone outside of this camp about the American, I will fucking kill you, okay?" Vaas closed the gap between them, holding still for a few seconds before he gently _bit _the tip of her nose. He pulled away, giving her a sly grin that told her he knew far too much than he let on.

"We'll talk about this later," he told her, opening the door, letting in a blinding amount of light.

Eli watched him leave, stunned to her very core. _What the hell just happened here? _She groaned, too tired to process it through her mind to find a valid answer. Eli tilted to her left, allowing her body to flop onto the bed. Vaas didn't want Volker to know about the American agent. She guessed he wanted to take care of him before Hoyt found out, and most likely be blamed for the agent roaming around unchecked. It made sense, really. Still, it didn't change the fact that she felt sick knowing she'd have to _lie _to Roy.

What else was she supposed to do though? Technically, Vaas was her superior. Roy had explicitly told her not to start a war with them and to do as she was told. But did that mean lying to him?

Eli sighed. Vaas certainly wasn't a man to be trifled with. She would go along with his orders. Because the military training deeply ingrained into her bones demanded it. _And because that cock has my journals. _Still, a part of her despaired at the thought of concealing the information from Roy. If he ever finds out, there will be _hell _to pay.

_How am I going to explain this to the others? Teddy is going to have a fit. _Much like her, Teddy's loyalty knew no bounds. And Eli knew that when she dropped this into his lap, he was not going to take it lightly. She'd have to smooth things over with a few white lies. What's one more when you're already lying to their faces?

_When did I become this person? _Eli groaned. _Stupid, fucking Vaas. It's all his fault. And he has my bloody journals. Great. Just _great.

Eli had no idea what the pirate lord had in store for her. She dreaded to think about it all, especially when deep down, a fucked up part of her was starting to find him incredibly God. Why? She buried her face in her pillow, inwardly hoping to smother herself with it. An inappropriate, disturbing, horrible, down-right insane crush on a psychopath pirate? _Sounds about right for me. _He mentally tortured her on a daily basis, blackmailing her and threatening to kill her—_jokingly or not_—so why the hell did she even tolerate him?

She thought about the what she has said earlier. _Complimenting_ him almost. Jesus Christ, Eli, what was that? Another thing to add to the list of _stupid shit Eli does_.

_Just kill me now._

* * *

Yay, finally, a little Vaas and Eli time! Whilst the Merc's are recovering, we'll get to see more of the pair at a _slower pace. _As in, no maiming, shooting, or stabbing. Just, you know, chillin' around camp. And of course, getting on each others nerves.

So, what did you think? Were Buck and Vaas in character? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. :)

I wanted to get across the internal war Eli is waging on herself. She's got so much crap going on, but in the midst of it all, there's that growing attraction for Vaas. She keeps putting it off and ignoring it, but it's starting to catch up on her now. I hope you didn't find that too annoying. I was a bit unsure if it.


End file.
